An Affair of Fire
by Light Triumphs All
Summary: After Aang defeated the Fire Lord, conflict wasn't over. When Aang left after Katara and he had gotten in a fight, she needed someone and Zuko was there for her. But being close to the Fire Lord is dangerous business. Zutara shipping. Pre-Korra theories.
1. Chapter 1

Katara and Aang had been engaged for almost 2 years when they had their first fight.

"I mean it Aang, you need to accept that I can travel and fight with you! It's unfair that you insist on treating me like I'm helpless when I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I want to come with you." She wasn't yelling at him, but her voice was raised.

He immediately apologized. "I just want to make sure that you are safe. You are the most important thing to me. While I'm gone, I need to be focused." He came and tried to hug her, but she stepped outside of his grasp.

"You know that I would be perfectly safe with you." She came up to him.

"Katara," He said, coming close to her. "There's a lot of people coming after me."

"It's not just that, we've been engaged a long time because of this whole thing!"

"What do you mean?" He said, keeping his frustration in check.

"You know what I mean. Whenever we plan our wedding date, it gets interrupted by some uprising or a mad man trying to take over the world."

Aang sighed. "I know, but my duty as the Avatar comes first."

"Let me come with you."

"Katara, no."

"Well I hope you have fun in the Earth Kingdom, alone." She stomped out of the kitchen to her bedroom. Aang sighed and left her a letter on the counter. He hopped on Appa and went on his way.

She sat in her bedroom and tried to think of something to do. She was so upset and she couldn't just sit there and twiddle her thumbs till he came back. So she decided to visit one of her friends. That should occupy her time while Aang was away. Sokka was on a mission in the Southern Water Tribe. Apparently some of the rebuilding process had sparked issues between the two tribes and they were on the brink of an uprising. Toph was in the Earth Kingdom helping Aang. Zuko, as far as she knew, was staying in the Fire Nation taking care of his normal duties. It wasn't too far away, so she chose to visit him.

Katara cleaned up the house before she left and packed up some supplies for her trip. She went out to the docks and got onto the boat her father had given her as a present. She began to bend the water around the boat to get it out of the bay, then the currents and winds took over. The boat moved in harmony with the ocean. And though this methodic movement should have soothed Katara's anger, she was still fuming with emotion. _Aang knows better, why would he leave me out of this? He even took Toph with him, but not me. How could he not want me with him? _The boat jumped a bit out of the water from her emotions.

It didn't take her long to reach the Fire Nation. When she did, she was greeted by some friendly Fire-Navy ships. "Ambassador Katara! Are you here on business?" A smiling faced waved her down. It was one of the generals she had worked with in the past on her peaceful missions.

"Hello! No, I am just here to visit an old friend." She slowed down her pace.

"Fire Lord Zuko will be pleased to have a visitor, I'm sure. Go on ahead."

She easily navigated into the docks where she tied up her boat, after paying a ridiculous docking fee. She received many stares as she walked through the streets, which was to be expected.

For one, she was pretty well known throughout the world and for those who didn't know of her, blue sticks out blatantly among all the red. She had been to the Fire Nation enough to know her way to the palace. She headed quickly to it after buying some fruit at a stand in the market.

At the palace, a maidservant was waiting for Katara to greet her. "Madame Katara! Hello my name is June."

"How did you know I was coming?" Katara was expecting to just pop in unannounced.

"We received word from the watch tower about an hour ago. The Fire Lord sends his sincerest apologies for not being here to welcome you personally. He had an important council meeting to attend that could not be postponed. The governors can only travel out to the inner city so often." June smiled at her and guided her up the steps to the palace. "For now, I will be taking you to where you will be sleeping during your time here. How long will you be staying?"

"I was planning on staying for at least a month, but we will see how it all works out."

They continued to travel through the halls until they reached a courtyard where a tree had grown very large and a pond sat right by it. June took her through the passages and to a paper door. "These will be your accommodations." She opened the door and motioned for Katara to go in.

She found a very large room with an extravagant king-sized bed. The room was filled with all kinds of beautiful furniture. June followed her into the room. "Are they to your liking?"

Katara looked in the mirror to find her mouth gaping wide. "The room is amazing, Zuko gives me too much space."

June laughed. "He only wants the best for his friends. Also in the closet you will find a fine collection of fire nation clothing you are welcome to wear if you wish to. Do you have any questions for me?"

"When will the Fire Lord's meeting be done?"

"It should only be about ten minutes longer."

"Thank you very much." Katara told her. June left the room. Katara wandered around the space. She sat down at the vanity and began to brush her hair. She washed her face with water then changed out of her traveling clothes into something more sophisticated. The silk kimono reached just above her ankles. The darker blue complemented her skin and hair nicely.

Katara didn't like being cooped up, so she went out into the courtyard then began to practice some basic forms without bending water. This helped her calm down and center herself.

She didn't know how long she had been standing there when she heard Zuko's voice. "Ambassador Katara."

He startled her so badly that she jumped. She turned around and ran to hug him. "Zuko! Please don't call me that, it makes me uncomfortable."

He hugged her back and laughed. "Okay Katara! This visit was a little unexpected."

She made a silent decision to tell him a half truth. "Well, I just needed a break and I wanted to visit someone from the old gang, and everyone else was busy."

He chuckled. "So I'm your last resort."

Katara laughed, embarrassed. "Not exactly."

"Despite what choice I was, I'm glad to have you here. I'm only ever surrounded by politicians and it will be good to have a sane person in my company. Iroh will be happy that you are here. I'm sorry to say that you will be consuming unusual amounts of tea in the next few weeks."

"I will be okay with that, as long as it's shared with Iroh." They laughed together.

"Dinner is ready, would you like to eat now?"

"Of course."

They walked through the halls till they reached an extravagant dining room. A large mahogany table sat in the middle with a runner and multiple plates of food. A large fire burned on both sides of the room, providing a warm light. The gold dishes glowed in the dark light. The dark red contrasted well with the yellow tint to the room.

Zuko pulled out a chair for her. "You can sit here."

"Thank you." She sat down. Zuko seated himself across from her.

As soon as Zuko sat down, the Dragon of the West came bursting through the door. "I heard dinner was ready I am starving."

Katara and Zuko both stood up and bowed to greet him. "Uncle," Zuko said, "Katara will be with us for a few weeks."

Iroh smiled warmly at her. "Katara, I am so pleased you are here. It will be good for Zuko to have a friend here with him."

They sat down together. It had been about a year since Katara had seen them. She had been busy in Republic City with Aang, and Zuko had been tied up in his nation with politics. The conversation at the table flowed easily. It was comfortable. Zuko talked about how the Fire Nation was going through a time of unrest.

"So why hasn't the new fire lord found a wife yet?" Katara asked him.

"I guess he's just waiting for the right one to come along." Zuko said, reserved.

"What happened to that Mai girl?" She asked.

"It didn't end up working out." He stared at his plate like there was something more interesting there.

Iroh cut in. "And he hasn't been on a date since."

The plate was then not as important as he glared at his uncle from the embarrassment he had just caused him. Iroh looked at him like "What?" Katara started laughing.

"You know that it will be good for you to be around someone who isn't a war general or your old uncle." Iroh laughed at the Fire Lord's stiffness.

Zuko chuckled and relaxed. "It probably will." They continued to eat and chat.

Iroh suggested that the Fire Lord take the next day to relax and catch up more with Katara.

Zuko liked the idea. "What do you say Katara? Would you like to go to the festival show tomorrow?"

"Festival?"

"We are in the third day of the Summer Festival. It lasts a week. It's a part of my duties to open the festival. But, it's still good to be attend some of the events. Tomorrow, they are performing a play in the market square, it's said to be very entertaining."

"Sounds like fun. I'd love to go. Will you come with us Iroh?"

"I would if I could. I would much rather spend my day with you two than escorting the governors out of the city. But I said that I would take them to where the path splits, so I will keep my word."

They finished their dinner and Iroh excused himself. Zuko offered to escort her back to her room, she accepted his offer.

The palace was warm from the day's sun. There were torches adorning the walls, accentuating the glowing atmosphere of the night. Katara had to admit, next to the light of the moon, she loved the glow of fire best.

As they walked, there were very little people walking through the halls.

"I know this might be considered treason in the water tribe. But I have to admit, I really like Fire Nation food." They laughed together.

"I will be sure to let the chefs know. They will be happy to hear it."

They had to pass by the courtyard to reach her room. But as they were walking, a guard came up to the Fire Lord and told him he needed to speak with him for a moment. Katara walked away for a moment so they could speak privately.

The moon was a half-moon that night. Katara strayed from the path to go look at the sky. The stars were much brighter there than in Republic city. She walked over to the pond. It was calm and reflected the stars perfectly. At the side of the pond, a group of turtle ducks were resting. She bended a drop of water out of the pool then allowed it to fall and create a ripple.

Katara sat at the edge of the water. She closed her eyes and began to breathe slowly, methodically. She found that when she was silent, her mind was very loud. She was frustrated about the conflict in the Earth Kingdom, annoyed Aang wouldn't allow her to come with him, happy she could be in good company, but over all she was hurt. She was hurt that Aang didn't want her to come with him. It made her feel unwanted. What if he was having second thoughts, about them…

Tears began to form in Katara's eyes when Zuko came and kneeled beside her. She rubbed her eyes, making it seem like it was because she was tired.

"I used to spend a lot of time in this courtyard when I was a kid."

She cleared her throat to stop her voice from breaking. "It's beautiful out here. You can see all the stars."

"Yeah, I used to sit out here and watch the moon cross the sky."

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the warm summer air, gazing at the stars.

Zuko stood up. "Come on. We should both turn in. Tomorrow will be a busy day."

"Aren't you supposed to be relaxing?"

"Well, any time the Fire Lord goes out in public, the people all tend to flock."

"Braving crowds? Sounds like a normal day out on the town." They laughed together as they travelled the halls. Zuko left her at the door of her room.

"But in an attempt to be avoid attention as much as possible, why don't you wear some Fire Nation clothing. Oh and June will come and wake you up in the morning. I'll see you tomorrow." He bowed out of habit.

She bowed in response. "Thank you."

Katara entered her room and collapsed on the bed.


	2. A Day at the Festival

Morning came quickly. Through the window, light was flooding into the room. Katara woke up because a beam of light was shining onto her eyes. She rolled out of the bed and went to sit at the vanity. She touched the water in the basin. It was room-temperature, so she warmed it up and washed her face.

Katara fixed her hair in her usual style, then grabbed some clothing from the closet. By the time she was done getting ready, June knocked on the door frame.

"Miss Katara?"

"Hi June, I'm already up."

"Good, breakfast is ready for you when you need it."

"Thank you." Katara had woken up with an aching pain in her heart. She hoped that coming to the fire nation would take her mind off things, but Aang had been constantly on her mind and in her dreams. She was wishing that today would change that.

She walked to the dining hall where there was a large breakfast spread waiting. She sat down at the table and waited for her companion to arrive before she began to eat. It wasn't long before Zuko came in through the doors. He wasn't wearing the common Fire Lord attire. He was dressed in the same clothes he had worn during his time in team avatar, even his hair was down. She was filled with nostalgia looking at him. But seeing him this way made her realize how much he'd grown.

"Good morning Katara." Zuko said as he approached the table. Instead of sitting at the other end, he sat in the chair next to her.

"Is today going to be normal?"

"As normal as we can make it. When we're out there, I'm Lee. Okay?"

"Sure thing." She chuckled as his seriousness.

"You won't be laughing when the crowds are so large that we can't even move."

"Someone's grumpy." She muttered.

They ate quickly then left the palace through the servant's entrance. Their aim today was to blend in and stay out of sight, but they were both prepared to be bombarded by crowds. He held out his arm for her. She took it and they walked down the road talking.

"So how long has this Summer Festival been going on?" Katara asked. She could smell the festival food in the air. Everyone was dressed in bright variations of red. She was glad she had worn something from the closet.

The air was warm and the flowers were in bloom. "Well, fire benders and the Fire Nation thrive in the summer. Since before the Great War we have honored this part of the year. So we celebrate it more than any other season. In times of peace, it goes on for a week. The first day is a feast that I host, which officially begins the festival. Then every day something different is planned. It varies every year, but usually there is one day that a travelling theatre troop performs a show about the nation or a historical event. That is what we are going to go watch."

They weaved through the people. "Sounds like fun."

"So how's everything in Republic city?"

Katara sighed. "It's not so great. There's a lot of gang troubles and tensions between the people from opposing nations."

"Seems like normal politics. Fine group of politicians we've become. How's everyone doing?"

"Sokka is amazing at what he does. He's been a large part of creating the infrastructure of the government. He's also been traveling back and forth between the water tribes. Toph is the city's chief of police. She's been teaching people how to metal bend. Aang," She choked a bit. "Well he's been doing the normal avatar thing."

"What about you? How are you doing?" Zuko asked as they lingered at a papaya stand.

"I'm good. I've been helping wherever I can, mostly in politics."

"How are you and Aang?" Zuko questioned, not prepared for the answer.

Katara didn't know if she wanted to tell him the truth. But as she hesitated, Zuko looked at her and asked, "Is there something wrong?"

"He's just been really distant lately, and he left me in Republic City after we had a serious fight." She held back a sob.

Zuko touched her shoulder. "I'm really sorry Katara."

Composing herself quickly, she assured him. "I'll be okay. I'm just happy that I've gotten a chance to get away for a bit."

"Well, I'm glad you're here." Zuko continued to tell her all about the buildings they were passing and the traditions of the festival. They passed groups of people dressed in colorful clothing and masks. Zuko said they were street performers who made money out in the courtyard before the main event of the day began.

They meandered their way to the show. They sat toward the middle. The play was about Sozin's comet, its appearance during the reign of Fire Lord Sozin and when Aang defeated Oazi. The acting was only mediocre, but better than the Ember Island Players. They portrayed the scene where Zuko was fighting Azula, but embellished it.

The man who was playing Zuko was way too muscly, but he did an okay job. The girl playing Azula was sickly and ugly. She used her fake lightning and the Zuko blocked it and subdued her with a full nelson. The crowd cheered, but Katara and Zuko laughed quietly to one another. The play ended with Zuko taking his place as the Fire Lord and restoring the Fire Nation to unity. They slipped out during the bows to get some lunch.

When they had sat down and ordered, they started talking. "So some play. Huh?" Katara said.

Zuko laughed. "Yeah. It's better than the normal ones."

"The acting was okay, but it wasn't very accurate."

"Especially the Ag Ni Kai with Azula, they made me look like a super human. We fought Azula together. Do you remember that day?"

"I don't think I'll ever forget. I remember when we all went our separate ways, I was afraid that we would never see each other again."

Zuko's eyes glossed over, he was lost in the past. "Yeah and we came to the palace where Azula was waiting for us."

"I thought you were crazy for challenging her to an Ag Ni Kai. We'd fought her before and she was a formidable opponent."

"Thanks for having faith in me." Zuko said bitterly.

Katara laughed at his misplaced emotions. "Well, you proved me wrong didn't you?"

"As I remember, you're the one who actually defeated Azula." Zuko's pride was still injured. He shrank into himself.

Katara began to fight for him. She touched him on the shoulder and tried to meet his eyes. "I wouldn't have survived if you hadn't have saved me from her lightning bolt. You almost died doing that."

"You're the one who healed me and kept me from slipping away." He said out of humility.

She continued to reassure him. "We both needed each other that day. We worked well as a team."

As lunch continued, they reminisced about the old days. They even laughed about some once-touchy subjects.

"Hey at least I didn't chase you around for months, trying to" She covered up her eye and deepened her voice to a comical level, "restore my honor."

"I almost got you guys a few times. Like the time with the pirates."

Katara glared at him. "Yeah you took my mother's necklace!"

Zuko said defensively, "I didn't take it! I found it at the earth prison facility and I knew it was yours."

Katara stopped, embarrassed. "Oh, that explains that. How did you know it was mine?"

A large amount of blood rushed to Zuko's cheeks. "Well when I was that age, I took note of details. Especially when I thought a girl was pretty."

Katara started blushing too. "A funny way to tell a girl you think she is pretty, tie her up and steal her jewelry." They both started laughing, brushing off the subject.

They continued to joke around and poke fun at each other. Once they were done with their food, they left the restaurant. Outside, a large crowd was waiting for them. Zuko and Katara were laughing about a prank Toph and Zuko had played on Sokka. When the crowd saw them, a person shouted "Look it's the firelord!"

The crowd cheered. He took a small step away from Katara. She simultaneously stepped away from him.

Zuko straightened and smiled at his people. "Are you all enjoying the festival?"

They cheered again.

Zuko put his hand behind Katara's back. "This is my good friend Katara and she is here to visit. She will be here through the rest of the festival and I want you all to make sure she is welcome."

Someone from the crowd shouted, "Of course your majesty!"

"Thank you. Enjoy the rest of your evening." He said and waved at them. Katara and Zuko walked on, but as they went, the crowd followed.

They went back to the market to grab some food for a picnic, the crowd followed from a close distance. A little girl in a red dress, her dark hair pulled up into a bun. She tugged on Zuko's pants.

He turned around and knelt down to her level. "Hello."

The little girl was twisting her dress in her fingers. She looked like she was only four years old. She tugged on Katara's dress too.

Katara knelt down. "Hello little one."

The little girl handed Zuko a fire lily and Katara a bouquet of wild flowers.

"Thank you." Zuko said.

Once she had delivered her present, she kissed them both on the cheek and ran away.

"She's adorable." Katara said quietly to his ear.

They continued on with their day, but after an hour and a half of the crowd following them, Katara was growing claustrophobic. "Zuko," she muttered to him, "is there any way we can escape them?" She moved her head toward the crowd.

He chuckled. "I was about to say the same thing. Come on, follow me." He quickly turned down an alley way then took a sharp right into a house. They climbed out the window on the other side and climbed into a gutter grate.

It smelled like rotten sewage. Katara looked at Zuko with a disgusted face. She water-bended the sewage away from them, which made it smell a bit better. His cheeks were puffed out, like he was holding his breath. A large crowd of feet ran over the gutter, shouting about where the fire lord had gone.

Once they could no longer hear the footsteps, Zuko and Katara climbed out of the gutter. They snuck through the alley ways until they reached the meadows on the far side of the city. They strolled up to the top of the hill over-looking the city. Zuko sat beneath the tree that grew at the top of the hill. The sun was beginning to set. The blue sky was turning into bright orange and pink colors.

Katara took in a quick breath. "Oh my, it's so beautiful up here."

The sun was beginning to silhouette the city. They could see the fire bending shows going on in the market more clearly.

Katara stood at the edge of the hill. Zuko started plucking up grass. "This is the best spot in the Fire Nation to watch the sun set. I think the sunset is more beautiful here."

Katara laughed at him. "Of course you would." She went to sit beside him. "And why is it better here?"

Zuko smirked. "It's because all the fire-benders live here. We depend on the sun for power. I'm sure the moon glows brighter in the Water Tribes."

Katara laughed. "Actually, that is true. I guess it makes sense the Fire Nation would be the same way."

Zuko took out from his satchel a couple hot buns, two dragon fruit, a loaf of bread, and a small bottle of sake.

"Would you like dinner?"

"You know, running away from fame can work up an appetite." She said jokingly.

"I knew it would." Zuko returned, comically.

They ate, watching the sun go down. The natural beauty was intoxicating. The tree they were sitting under was laden with sweet-smelling fruit. Its aroma filled the air.

Katara loosened up a bit. "I actually had a really good time today."

"Actually?" He questioned with fake offense.

She half shoved him over. "Well, I didn't know what to expect. I haven't visited you in over a year."

"I guess that was a reasonable worry."

They sat in silence for a moment.

"Did you really think I was…" her voice dropped off, deciding that she was asking a stupid question.

Zuko wasn't able to follow her thought process. "What?"

"Pretty?" She finished quietly. Since he had told her that fact, it had stuck in her mind and she continually was analyzing it in her brain.

Zuko chuckled quietly. "Well, yeah. Katara, you have to know that. You're a beautiful woman."

Her ears were hot. "Thanks." He flattered her.

They were drinking sake as they watched the sun go down. Zuko had seen the sunset from here dozens of times, he was watching Katara. He wanted to see her reaction to the beauty. As Katara watched the sun go down, her face brightened and her eyes glistened. A smile spread across her face. The sky was pink, orange and red. She'd seen sunsets, but nothing like this. With every second, the colors changed and shifted. Before long, the sun was gone and the small moon was rising into the sky.

Katara leaned back against the tree. "Wow."

Zuko was smiling. "Yeah, I know."

"I have to admit," she said, watching the moon begin to rise, "you were right about the sunset being most beautiful here."

She looked at him. He was grinning at the horizon. Katara noticed how close they were sitting. Zuko turned towards her and their shoulders grazed.

There was something, a tension, that made her say, "I think we should probably go back now."

His face returned to its normal seriousness. "Yeah, we should."

Although their return was unusually quiet, neither of them noticed it. They were both deep in thought. The city was more beautiful at night than during the day time. The lanterns that dispelled the darkness were large, roaring fires. Katara wasn't used to the warm nights, but she enjoyed them. They made her feel like the sun hadn't gone down.


	3. The Dream

When they reached the palace, the guards greeted them. Zuko gave them his regards. They walked through the grand entrance. They both turned to the right and continued to walk, until they reached a fork in the hallway.

"Do you know your way?" Zuko asked her.

"Yeah… I had a really fun day." She said.

"Me too. I will see you tomorrow." He smiled at her and walked off to the right.

Katara walked away. As she travelled the halls, she clasped her hands together and pressed them against her forehead in distress. She took a moment to rest her back against the wall. She closed her eyes. His face, Zuko's face, plagued her mind.

She stood up quickly and hurried to her room. _No, no, no, no. Go away you'll ruin everything. _She knew what was coming. She liked being friends with Zuko, liking him any more than that would complicate things and just tear them apart. It was better to deny her feelings, than to have unrequited love.

When she reached her room, she stripped off the fire-nation garb, plopped on the bed and tried very hard to think about Aang, his face, his muscles, his care-free attitude. But as she thought about Aang, the more her mind wandered to Zuko. She continued to force her thoughts toward the last Airbender on earth, his blue tattoos, his lips, his steady hands.

While she was struggling over those thoughts, she drifted off to sleep. Although sleep is supposed to bring rest, it did the very opposite of that. Katara experienced very vivid dreams.

_There was a mountain. The sky was blue and there wasn't a cloud in sight. Katara sat in the village at the bottom of that mountain. In her hand, she had a cup full of tea. The attendant at the shop came up to her, it was a large old woman._

_"__Do you want more tea?!" She yelled loudly. _

_Katara spilled hot tea all over her hands. "Agh. No thank you." Katara began to walk toward the mountain. At the bottom of the mountain, there was a spring. She placed her scalded hands in the water, but the water burned her like acid. She quickly pulled her hands out._

_In the sky, ominous clouds began to gather. Katara decided to check the top of the mountain for a natural spring, maybe from the melted snow. _

_Katara noticed as she began to trek up the mountain, it was steep, but she made it by climbing with her hands too. Once she reached the top, there wasn't any water, so she sat down. _

_BOOM. The side of the mountain exploded, lava was pouring out of the mountain. Katara got up and ran away from the molten rock. She feared it would burn and kill her. But as she was fleeing, she slipped and tumbled down the steep slope. The lava caught up with her and she screamed. But instead of burning her skin, it acted like medicine and soothed it. Her hands, that were previously scalded, were now healed. _

_When she walked back to the village, the townspeople were burning. The smell of cremated flesh filled the air. Katara water bended the pool at the base of the mountain. She made the lava cool and ran to heal people. _

_She came to a man whose left arm was burned. She took the water and began to heal him. He muttered something, she couldn't make out what he said._

_"__Everything is going to be alright." She reassured him._

_He said, almost as a whisper. "This is your fault."_

Katara jolted awake. Her white undergarments were soaked with sweat. The air in the room was stagnant and humid. She got out of bed and opened the window. The breeze that came in through the window wasn't very helpful, being warm, but it at least got the air in the room circulating. Deciding that it wasn't enough, she walked out the door and to the courtyard.

Katara figured the best way to cool off would be to get wet so she eased herself into the pond. Her mind was racing from the dream; it had felt so real. She had found that resting in the water calmed her down and centered her thoughts. The water washed the sweat off her body. She relaxed and her body began to float. That dream left her shaky and uncertain. She had experienced odd dreams, but this one felt different.

She ended up falling asleep in the water and woke up to a large man with a pot of tea.

"Good morning, Katara." Iroh said. "Would you like some tea?"

Katara, who was previously relaxed, stiffened and began to sink. She jumped out of the pond, disturbing the birds in the tree.

"Good morning Iroh. Let me go get dressed first." She bended the water off of her body then went into her room and put on her clothes.

When she came back out, Zuko was sitting with his Uncle, sharing a cup of tea.

Iroh saw her and said, "I hope you don't mind, but my nephew will be joining us for tea."

Katara laughed quietly, "Of course I don't mind if little Zuko joins us." She said jokingly. The way Iroh had phrased it made the Fire Lord sound like a two-year-old.

Zuko poked back at her. "Have a nice nap in the pond, water-girl?"

Katara chuckled, hoping to laugh off her nightmare from the previous evening.

Slightly defensively, she said, "The nights here are too hot for me to sleep well. Sorry I'm not like you fire-boy."

He smirked and sipped his tea. Katara remembered what had happened the previous day. She and Zuko had a great time just hanging out. And _he _didn't have a bone-chilling nightmare.

"I'm curious Katara, what caused you to come and lay in the pond?" Iroh asked, handing her a cup of tea.

She sipped the tea to calm her down. "Well, I had a very vivid nightmare." She then proceeded to describe the dream to them.

"Sounds like you've got a lot on your mind." Iroh commented.

"Well, while you're here, I don't want you to worry about anything." Zuko said attempting to reassure her.

"Thanks Zuko." She half-smiled, her tea cup resting against her lips.

"You need a vacation from stress." Iroh said.

Zuko quickly sat up straight, like a light bulb went off in his head. "Why don't we just take a vacation?"

Katara poured herself more tea. "That's what I'm doing now, Zuko."

"No, I mean Ember Island. My family has a house on the island, we could stay there." He said, excited. "I have been so busy lately, it'll be nice to get away for a bit."

Iroh chuckled. "We haven't been to Ember Island in some time."

Katara was confused. "You can just leave the Fire Nation?"

Zuko laughed. "Not forever. But I can take some time to myself. My officials can take care of the civil duties. If anything important happens, I'm not very far away."

"If you think it'll help me de-stress, I'm more than willing to go."

Zuko was excited. He hadn't gotten time away in months. Things were finally beginning to calm down, and he was ready for a vacation. "Well, then we will leave at noon. That should be more than enough time to get all the arrangements in order."

Katara remembered Ember Island from the first time they had been there. It was beautiful and magical. She was eager to return. "I remember the island. It was enchanting."

"There's a lot of other things around the island you haven't seen yet. While we are there, I'll be sure to show you around."

"Before we get ahead of ourselves, let's finish our tea." Iroh said. They continued to talk excitedly about the trip and what they would do.

Zuko came with her to her quarters to help her pack appropriate clothing.

Katara held up an elaborate gown that looked like it was made for only the finest events. "Why in the world would you put this in my room?"

Zuko laughed and said "Well I didn't know how long you would be staying and royal occasions happen every so often..." he trailed off into his on thoughts.

Katara smirked. "Well if you have any coronations, I'll be prepared."

Zuko continued to tell her what to bring. "Bring the more casual clothing, but bring the maroon kimono with the white sash, just in case we do have an upscale event to attend."

She packed it into her bag and said to him. "Zuko, thank you so much for allowing me to come visit you."

Zuko brushed the compliment off and put his hand on her shoulder. "It's the least I could do for a good friend."

Katara put her arms around him and embraced him. He put his arms around her and said, "And if Ember Island helps you relax and takes away your nightmares it is well worth the trip."


	4. Ember Island

**Hey Guys! I Hope you like this chapter. I played around with a few different ways of writing it, but decided this was ultimately the best option. Please Read and Review!**

It didn't take very long to reach the island. As they arrived, Iroh and Katara were finishing a very intense game of pi sho. Zuko was observing quietly. They docked just outside of town. A small procession came to meet the boat. The Mayor of Ember Island was there with some of his officials.

As they came off the boat, he called out to them. "Fire Lord Zuko! I had your home prepared for your arrival."

Iroh escorted Katara off the boat as Zuko came up to him and bowed. "Thank you for your hospitality, and no one else is aware that I am here?"

He glanced back at his crowd. "No my Lord, just as you specified."

"Thank you."

Zuko went over to Katara and Iroh. "We shouldn't be recognized here. There's something special about this place, it gives you a clean slate. I used to love coming here when I was little."

"Did you come here a lot?" Katara asked.

"Yeah." Zuko reminisced. "Back when I was younger and my family was more… Well, more like a family."

The hot afternoon sun was shining on the water and the whole island was glowing. The three walked down back roads to reach the house by the bay. The large house was located very close to the sea. Katara stared at it in awe.

"This is so beautiful."

"We used to come here every summer when I was little." Zuko said, getting nostalgic.

They took their supplies inside. Iroh took the bedroom nearest to the kitchen. Zuko offered Katara the master bedroom but she declined it for the one next to it that was more her size and taste. Once they had settled in, they congregated to the dining room.

Zuko said to them, "There's still a lot of time in the evening, would you both like to get dinner?"

Iroh sighed. "As much as I'd love to go get dinner, I am feeling oddly weary from the journey and I will make something here. Sadly, I'm not as young as I used to be."

Katara smiled. "Well I guess it's just you and me."

Zuko led her out to the path. "This should be fun." He took her down through the trees to a town center. They walked, arm in arm, through the streets. There the houses were made out of a wood that reflected the sun onto the street.

They entered a small shop. The sign on the outside read "Delicious Duck's Delicacies".

He whispered to her "This place has really good dinner foods."

A man dressed in a suit came up to them. "Dinner for two?"

"Yes." Zuko responded. The fancy man took them to a booth in the back of the restaurant where practically no one was.

"Private enough for the two of you?" He questioned with a mischievous smile on his face.

Katara half smiled at him. "Sure, thanks."

They sat down as the man informed them someone would be there to take their order very soon. They settled in and looked at a menu.

As they decided what to buy, they talked more about life. Zuko wasn't afraid to get straight to the hard questions. "Katara are you and Aang still engaged to be married?"

Katara knew he would eventually bring this up, so she was ready. "Honestly, when he left, it felt like we no longer were."

Zuko looked down thoughtfully. In that moment, the waitress came up to them. "Hello, I'm Shu I will be your attendant tonight. What would you like to eat and drink?"

They ordered their food quickly and came back to the conversation. "Aang's a sweet guy but he's not very good at keeping his priorities straight." Katara said, pensively.

Zuko considered this then spoke, "A man has to make a choice between his woman and his work. People always choose differently. Personally, I think people are more important than tasks."

"You would though."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She laughed at him. "Well, your family always seemed to be so centered on their duties to Fire Nation, or at least from what you've told me."

"That's true, but the same is true for you. Sokka is task oriented, but you want to help people and show them that you care for their well-being." Zuko told her.

"I guess we are one in the same then huh?" She asked him.

"I guess so." They continued to talk and they ate their food once it came. Katara ate the roast duck and Zuko had a duck casserole that tasted much better than it looked.

As they had finished their food, Katara had a moment of inspiration.

"Zuko, once we're done here, we should go down to the beach and swim."

He looked at her as if she was going insane. "Is that roast duck going to your head? It's night Katara, you don't swim at night."

"Come on scaredy. It is bright enough to swim. And you can't drown with a water bender around."

"Okay, but if anything bad happens I blame you." Zuko said, giving up his stubbornness. They paid their check and walked to the beach down by their abode. The waves were crashing and the moon was reflecting against the water. The clear night sky shone with millions of stars stretching across the expanse. Katara went and sat on some drift wood for a moment to take it all in. Zuko grabbed some of the smaller sticks around them, fashioned them into a bundle, and made a fire.

"Wow they have some nice beaches here," Katara said.

"Yeah the waves can get really big."

They sat for only a little bit longer when Katara stood up and he joined her. She took off her outer clothing and so did Zuko, leaving them in their under garments which were appropriate to swim in.

She immediately ran into the water, inviting him with her. The water was warm from the day's sun and the pleasant night air kept the chills away. She bended the water away to make a path, Zuko followed it down to her.

"Come on. I wanna show you something." She created a bubble around them as they walked further into the water, Zuko produced fire so they could see better. Down in the ocean, fish were swimming in their schools through the coral reefs.

Zuko inhaled deeply, enjoying the moment. "This is beautiful."

Katara glanced at his face and smiled. "It gets me every time." They continued to walk, looking at the Tiger Coy fish and examining the wild life.

The bubble was running out of oxygen quickly so they were forced to go back to the surface. They floated on the top, pointing out the different constellations they knew.

Zuko looked over at Katara, who had her eyes closed. He splashed her with water then furiously began to swim away, hoping to escape the wrath to come.

She laughed, "Zuko, really? A splashing match with a waterbender? You need to pick your battles." She moved into a wading position in the water then created an ice platform under her so she could stand. She then bended a tentacle to pull the fleeing Zuko back to her. It grasped him by the leg and pulled him closer to her, then he sliced it with a fire whip. She just continued to pull him with multiple tentacle to her ice platform, which had now become a large square.

As soon as he was on it and standing, she said, "Time for a rematch, Fire Lord?"

Zuko laughed. "If you want to lose? I'm okay with that."

He took a deep breath and Katara had her hands ready to pull water up from the ocean. Zuko slowly began to move towards her and she bended water that would sit on her arms. He shot a tentative fire bullet towards her, which she dodged with grace. She bended a water whip to grab his leg, but he severed it before it could catch him off balance.

As they slowly moved towards one another, Zuko was shooting fire at her and she trying to get him off balance. Soon they were only about a half a foot apart, circling like partners in a dance, waiting for the other to make a move. Katara smirked at him then leaped back and bended a huge wave towards Zuko. He split it with and large fire blast then sliced the platform in half, giving them less room to move.

Zuko did an elaborate move that shot a large blast from his feet, leaving him with momentum to run. While Katara was focusing on the fire blast, he charged right at her and tackled her to the ground. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled until they fell off the platform, into the ocean.

They laughed together. "You got me Zuko."

They continued to swim until exhaustion crept up in their muscles they swam back to shore to lay on the sand, side by side.

They turned towards one another, each glistening from the water on their skin. Zuko was looking into her eyes. Their faces were inches away. Katara wanted to lean in, so badly, but she was restraining herself when— their lips connected. Zuko leaned into her. His hands met her face. Their bodies gravitated closer together pulled by some magnetic force. She put her arms around him.

He pulled away soon after that. His hands moved from her face to her waist, he tentatively pulled her close, almost as tenderly as one would handle a fragile porcelain doll.

"Katara." He said softly in her ear.

"Yes?"

He moved his face from her shoulder so that he could look into her eyes. "You look so beautiful."

She blushed deeply. The eye contact made her vulnerable. "Thanks Zuko."

He slowly moved his hand to the nape of her neck. He leaned in again, lightly brushing his lips against hers, he kissed her cheek, then the side of her chin. He moved just to the point of where her neck began, kissing her. For a moment he lingered, then he went back to kissing her lips.

As soon as it had begun, he moved away from her slowly still holding her face. She removed her arms their position around his body and sat upright. He continued to hold her eyes, she stared into his soul.

He said quietly. "We should go back to the house now."

He stood up and offered her help up. When she had stood up, he continued to hold her hand. His firm hand reassured her of something she hadn't yet put into words. As they walked, she could still feel his hands on her skin.

Zuko walked her to her room. She went up to the door and opened it. Before she went inside, she turned around and placed her hands softly on Zuko's face. He smiled and leaned in to kiss her. When he kissed her this time, it was soft and sweet. Katara returned his kiss. They slowly moved until her back was up against the wall and Zuko was pressed against her.

They lingered there until the moon was high in the sky. Zuko pulled away, saying "We should go to sleep if we want to be fresh for tomorrow."

"You're right." Katara said, reluctantly.

He saw her disappointment, grabbed her by the waist, pulling her close and pulled her hand to his lips. He then slowly kissed her on the forhead, the cheek, and finally on the lips one last time before meandering away, saying "Until tomorrow."

Katara walked into her room, beaming. She closed the door and plopped onto her bed. When Katara fell to sleep, she was met with the same dream as the night before, but it did not bring her as much terror. She was at peace.


	5. Guilty Conscience

**Hey guys it took me awhile to write this chapter because it took me some time to decide which way I should take it. Enjoy! Let me know what you think in your reviews!**

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Zuko woke up to the morning sun. A smile spread across his face. The previous night had been _amazing. _The magic of Ember Island was impossible to resist, for both of them. He had no intention of acting on his inclination towards her. He had been content to be close friends. However, on the beach they had shared something special. He leaned in, prepared to be rejected, but she slowly reciprocated his movements. And when they kissed, oh when they kissed, it was something else. He had felt sparks forming on his skin. Fire and water working together in harmony.

He strolled into the kitchen where Iroh was drinking some tea. "Good morning Uncle." He said happily.

"Hello Zuko. You look a little too happy this morning." Iroh chuckled to himself.

"There's so much to be happy about."

"How did last night go?"

Zuko's smile widened. "It was great," he said, half laughing to himself.

Iroh sighed. "Be careful, Fire Lord. Aang is your friend. You don't want to upset him."

Zuko thought about it for a moment and denied the truth in his statement. "He drove her here. That wasn't my doing."

Iroh grunted and walked out. Zuko pondered what his uncle had said, but then dismissed it.

Katara woke up quite differently. Dreams of Aang haunted her that night. He was pleading with her to give him another chance. Her stomach was tied in knots when she finally woke up. She slowly got dressed and went to the kitchen. As she entered, she saw Zuko talking with Iroh. The knots loosened when he looked over at her. Then she remember the passion they had shared the night before and began to blush.

"Good morning Zuko." She said to him.

"Hello Katara." He moved to make some tea for her.

She accepted it graciously and they sat down. She began to feel sick about what she would have to say. "Zuko, last night…" She began.

He looked her in the eyes, but she was dodging his eye contact.

"I upset you." He said. His good mood was now squashed.

Katara saw his sadness. "No Zuko, I just… It's Aang. I wasn't thinking last night."

Zuko clenched his fists around his cup of tea which was turning hot very quickly.

Katara saw the steam rising from his cup and his knuckles that were turning white.

"Zuko," she touched his hands. "I think it's better to put this on hold until I get closure with Aang. It feels like I'm going behind his back through the whole thing."

Zuko continued to stare at his cup. Katara inched her fingers around his and held his hands tight. Zuko looked up at her pulled away his hands and walked out of the room. Katara's heart dropped into her stomach. She sat there for a moment, then before she could stop herself, she ran after Zuko.

"Zuko!" Katara looked out at the landscape. She saw him standing on a rock overlooking the ocean. When she walked up to him she noticed the air around him was warmer than normal, he was radiating heat.

She quietly came up behind him, put her arms around his body and leaned her head against his back. "Zuko, I want to be with you, more than anyone else. But I don't want to ruin things by starting it off wrong, or hurting Aang in the process."

"No matter what we do, Aang will be hurt by this." Zuko protested.

"I just need to tell him." Katara sighed. She wanted to be able to enjoy what they had, not feel guilty about every moment they spent together.

"Okay." He relented.

"I'm going to go to the market and buy some fruit. I'll be back in a little while." She released her hold around him and walked away.

Zuko turned around and watched her frame disappear over the hill. He went back to his house, seeking advice of his most trusted adviser.

"Uncle." He said, yelling toward the house.

"Yes Fire Lord Zuko?" His uncle was quite traditional and tended to remember his office no matter the circumstances.

He found him in the courtyard "I need advice."

They sat on the stairs and Zuko told him the situation. "Katara wants to wait for 'us' to wait."

Iroh raised his eyebrows as if to say "Why?"

"She wants to completely finish things with Aang before we get involved." Zuko said irritated.

Iroh opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Zuko was up walking around and ranting. "I mean I get it. I respect her decision to wait until she gets closure about it but now the rest of our time on Ember Island could potentially be really uncomfortable instead of us just letting things happen naturally."

Iroh said, "Zuko, you have to allow her to make her own decisions. If she wants to wait, let her."

"But-" Zuko began.

"But what, my nephew?" Iroh noticed his apprehension and could see his insecurity.

Zuko came back to sit with his uncle. He struggled to admit, "But what if she talks with Aang and he convinces her to give him another chance."

"Do you not have faith in her feelings for you?"

Zuko looked at his hands. "Yes. Eh. No… Maybe? I don't know."

"Well, all you can do is spend each moment with her while we are here and make the most of it. If nothing else comes out of it, you will have had a good time with a good friend. And isn't that enough?"

Zuko rested his head against his hands. He thought for a moment. _Katara. If she needs to wait I can bear it too. _Through his hands he said "It's enough."

Iroh smiled. "I'm glad. You've grown so much. I think you should go meditate until she comes back and then tell her what you need to say."

Zuko stood up with a quiet "Thank you." He walked out to the beach and sat just where the waves could touch his feet. He sat there for hours thinking about Katara, Aang, and the whole situation he had found himself in. The crashing of the waves calmed him as he brought himself to peace about his current circumstances.

Katara had gone to the market just to give Zuko some space. She was sure, well pretty sure, that he would be okay after he had some time to think. And when she got back, that's exactly what he was doing, thinking. First she scoured the house, trying to find him, but once she went down to the beach she found the meditating Fire Lord.

She walked up and sat down right beside him. She reciprocated his sitting stance and began to meditate with him. Without her noticing it, the surf started coming further and further in shore, getting her and Zuko much more wet.

"Katara," Zuko said opening his eyes.

"Yes?" She said nervously, thinking he was about to talk to her about Aang.

"You're getting us a little wet."

She opened her eyes to see the next wave hit her and get Zuko right in the face. Despite the tension, she began to laugh very loudly. He stood up with a slightly disgruntled look on his face.

"Let me help you," she said, standing up. She bended the water from their clothes and put it back in the ocean.

Zuko started walking toward a circle of logs on the beach. He looked back at the waiting Katara and motioned with his head for her to join him. They sat in a corner, each on a different log, but close enough so that they could touch one another.

Zuko began, "Katara, I understand your desire to tell Aang, um about us. It's only fair to him. I will respect whatever boundaries you want to put in place until we tell him."

Katara looked at Zuko. "Wow that is very mature, of you."

Zuko glanced irritated at her, "What? I can't be mature about things?"

"No, it's just a relief."

Katara looked off in the distance and saw hawks flying around. They were majestically swooping down through the air. Those hawks looked wild, but many of the hawks in the Fire Nation were for sending messages.

In that moment she realized, "Zuko! We can send Aang a hawk."

Zuko looked at her, "What?"

"I mean with a message on it. Don't you have a hawk with you?"

"Katara you're a genius! C'mon." Zuko lead her quickly back to the house and gave her a brush and ink while he fetched his bird.

Katara seated herself at the table in the kitchen. She picked up the brush and made sure it had a sufficient amount of ink. Putting the brush to the parchment, she realized, she had no clue what to write to explain everything. She had thought about what she would say, but write? Explaining this from a distance would make miscommunication much easier. She had to let him down as softly as possible.

She managed to put her thoughts down,

_Aang, _

_Last time we talked helped me realize that you aren't ready to be in a relationship, let alone married. You've got the weight of the world on your shoulders, I asked you to put me before everything in your life and that was unfair of me to ask, because you can't. But I still needed someone to put me first. In my pain, I turned to Zuko and he was able to give me just that. He makes me feel wanted and loved. _

_If you want to come see me and talk about this in person, I am at the Fire Lord's summer home on Ember Island. If you don't, I understand. _

_Katara_

Once she had finished writing the letter, she began to cry. At first she wasn't sure why she was crying and then she realized it was out of relief. She bended her tears off the letter and wiped them from her eyes. She rolled up the letter and tied it with string.

Zuko came back a moment later and gave the letter to the hawk.

"Deliver this to Avatar Aang, he should be in the Earth Kingdom." He told the bird then set it loose.

Zuko looked down at Katara, who still had red eyes from crying, and he looked at her with a very confused look. "What's wrong?"

Katara laughed. "I'm fine, I'm just relieved."

"Oh." Zuko still didn't understand girls. "So are we okay now?"

Katara stood up, pressed up against him, and kissed his lips. "Yeah, we're okay."

Zuko's curiosity got the best of him, "So what did you write in the letter?"

Katara looked down at where their hands were interlocked. "I just told Aang how you make me feel. Aang is a good person, he just doesn't know how to treat a woman. You do. You make me feel loved."

In that moment, Zuko was relieved he had done right by Katara. He leaned down to kiss her softly. She returned his kiss happily. She stopped for a moment thinking, _Is a letter enough? _Zuko kissed her forehead, unknowingly reassuring her.

"Would you like to go on a walk?" Zuko asked her.

"Yes." Katara said.

He took her hand and they walked out to the beach. They strolled across the sand. They observed the people on the beach. Katara sometimes stopping to talk to children on the beach, after which she would say "I love children." It took them the rest of the day to walk around the whole island. Katara talked to Zuko about everything, the waves, the scenery, and every other observation she made. He, of course, didn't mind leaving the conversation mostly up to her. He actually enjoyed hearing what she thought about the nation and the island.

As soon as the sun began to set, Zuko stopped them and said, "I wanna enjoy the view."

They sat on a sand dune. Katara leaned up against him and said, "The sunset sure will be beautiful tonight." The sky had just enough clouds to reflect the light from the sun and to catch the colors. Zuko put his arm around her shoulders and they watched the sun go down.

Returning home, Katara said to Zuko. "I think I'm going to turn in early today. It's been a long day."

"Okay. Good night." He kissed her on the forehead, causing her to smile.

She slept soundly that night. The next morning, Zuko and she went out on the town to see a show at the Ember Island players, which was so horrible it was laughable. During the next two weeks, the pair attended an obligatory dinner at the Mayor's home, spent a whole day fishing, and went out dancing. Much of their down time was spent together, talking, laughing, and playing around.

It was Monday afternoon when Katara realized that she wanted to know Zuko, in the deepest way possible. They were having dinner at a quaint place that _claimed _to have authentic water nation cuisine and he was telling her about how much he struggled as a kid with Azula and his dad. He also talked about his mom too. He was being very vulnerable and it showed.

They had been swapping their deepest fears, secrets, and desires over the last few days. Katara was wondering other things so she asked. "Zuko have you ever? You know…"

Zuko blushed, "Yeah, Mai and I..."

"Oh okay." Katara was embarrassed to have brought up such an awkward subject.

"You?"

"Yeah."

"Mmm." He grunted, also feeling a little awkward.

"Yeah."

That moment, they were asked for payment and Zuko fumbled for money. They were both still flushed.

As they left the restaurant, Zuko put his arm around her again. The awkwardness soon left their minds. They went back to the house, which was empty since Iroh was nowhere to be found.

Zuko walked her back to her room like he always did. He leaned down to kiss her. Katara accepted his kiss and pressed her body against his more aggressively than usual. Zuko noticed the change in her body language and responded likewise. Katara was smiling as they kissed. But like normal, he pulled away after too long.

Katara looked him in the eyes with a very specific look and she didn't retire to her room like she normally would. She pulled him closer to her by his collar and he backed her up against the wall. His hands traveled from her face down to her waist to keep her close to him.

Katara pulled her face away from his and looked at the door to Zuko's room. She looked at him mischievously and opened the door. He smirked and followed her. She stood at the foot of his bed and pulled out her hair. It flowed over her shoulders, covering most of her chest and back. Zuko again came near her and began to kiss her, but it was softer this time. He kissed right below her ear then down her neck until he was just kissing around her collar bone.

Katara untied Zuko's tunic and slipped it off his shoulders, revealing his toned abdomen. They switched roles so that he was tenderly taking off her top and she was kissing him. He also stripped her of the skirt she so that she was just wearing her undergarments. She returned her mouth to his and started moving toward his bed.

He playfully tossed her onto his bed and just as he was about to join her, a knock sounded at the door. Katara quickly ran off the bed and into the bathroom, she snuck out the window and into her room. Zuko fixed himself and put on his tunic. He answered the door. There standing was his Uncle and a soldier that he didn't know.

Zuko was quite irritated to be interrupted that specific night, "Uncle," he tried to say calmly, despite his anger.

"Fire Lord, I'm sorry to wake you up, but this is very important." Iroh motioned toward the middle-aged man standing next to him.

Zuko looked at the soldier. "Do you have something to report?"

"Yes sir. We need you immediately in the Fire Nation so that we can stop the governors from declaring civil war. They both have large amounts of soldiers stationed, ready for battle at their borders."

Zuko sighed. "How much time do we have?"

"A couple days, at most."

"We should leave in the morning then, huh?" Zuko said, saddened.

"Yes sir."

"Thank you. Meet me here an hour after dawn." Zuko dismissed him.

Iroh said to Zuko. "Do you want Katara and me to come with you?"

Zuko thought for a moment. "No, stay here, I won't be long."

Iroh nodded and walked away with a, "Good night Zuko."

Zuko waited till he was out of sight then he went into his room to look for Katara until he found her inside her own room. She was lying in bed. Zuko walked up to her bedside and lay next to her.

"Katara." He said, then pressed his lips against her neck.

"Yes Zuko?"

"I have to leave. Just for a couple of days. The Fire nation states are on the brink of war, I have to go and diffuse the situation. It will be at most four days. Do you want to come with me? Or stay?" He wanted to give her a choice, just so she felt comfortable.

Deciding that it would be nice to have some time to think, she decided. "I'll stay and wait for you."

"Okay." Zuko said.

"Too bad a civil war had to kill the mood." Katara said quietly.

Zuko laughed. He put his arms around her waist and investigated her body with his hands. He grabbed her legs affectionately. He continued to kiss her back and neck. Katara turned toward him and kissed him once on the lips.

"Zuko, will you sleep with me tonight?" Katara asked, wanting time with him.

He smiled. "Of course."

She turned back around, grabbed his arms wrapped them around her body. He laid as close to her as he could. They slowly drifted off to sleep.

Just before she fell asleep, she said to him "I'm going to miss you."


	6. Goodbye, For Now

**Hello! Sorry I've been gone. I took a break for my sanity and then the first semester of college hit me like a freight train. So this is a short chapter, but quite a bit of relationship development. Enjoy and Review! **

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Katara woke up just as Zuko had swung his legs over the side of the bed and onto the cold floor. He was breathing deeply, preparing himself for the long day that lay ahead. She sat up, put her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. He smiled and grabbed her hands with his.

"I'll be gone for four days, a week tops. But the longer I'm away from you, the more direly I'll fight to end this feud." Zuko said, kissing her on the cheek.

Katara climbed around his body so that they were face to face and her legs were wrapped around him, her body firmly molded to his. He tenderly kissed her lips. She hungrily returned his passion, revealing her longing for him to stay. He too wished they had a few more hours, but he pulled away.

"Katara," she moved to his body and began to move her mouth down his abdomen. He pulled her face back up to his, kissing her lips. "As much as I'd like to continue this, I have very little time left to prepare to leave. The moment I return we can continue this."

She blushed, slightly embarrassed from being half-rejected. But then she accepted his decision saying "Okay, love."

His eyes widened at the word, but then the surprised look was replaced by one of adoration. "I love you, Katara. From the moment I met you I thought you were beautiful, of course you were the enemy so I didn't care too much. You offered to heal my eye and I reconsidered my premonitions about you. I learned of your passion and love for others it drew me to you. I wanted you to like me, so naturally you hated me. Once you began to actually care for me I wanted to protect you, that's why I took the lightning for you. I couldn't let you die. When you held me in your arms that night I wish I had been able to use my body properly, because I would've kissed you. I wish I had the courage to tell you all of this before, but I was too afraid. I was afraid you wouldn't feel the same way so I never told you, I figured it was better to have you as a friend than nothing. But when you told me you no longer wanted to be with Aang, it felt like the right time, and now, Katara... I know that-

A soldier busted open the door. "Madame Katara? Oh... excuse me Fire Lord. We were looking for you, the ship is scheduled to depart in ten minutes, your uncle is insisting you board now for your safety."

Zuko sighed, "Of course," The soldier left their presence. "Katara I will finish this later."

Katara gawked at him. "What you can't leave me like this! Patience is my most lacking quality."

He laughed. "Well I'm glad that I can help you improve personally."

They stood up off the bed and walked toward the door. He kissed her softly on her nose and then her cheeks and worked his way to her lips. The kiss they shared was slow and melancholy. He pulled away as she began to chase his lips with hers. He looked her in the eyes and sighed.

"What Zuko?" Katara asked concerned.

"First, you're very cute when you are frustrated. Second, I love you my little turtle duck." He leaned down to kiss her on the lips. He then put his arm around her and they walked out to the dock where the ship waited. The sun was just barely kissing the horizon, the moon was still visible and the world was painted orange and red.

"Goodbye. Please," she grew somber. "Please be safe, and come back to me in one piece."

"You sure you don't want to come?" He asked "You could protect me better than any of my army."

Katara considered it for a moment, then laughed softly. "Yes I am sure. You need to do be focused, and I need some time to think. Even though you know I would love more than anything to come with you."

He kissed her on the forehead, "Well then, farewell my sweet little waterbender." He hugged her, not ever wanting to let go of the beauty he that was finally his.

She kissed him on the lips one last time. "Goodbye my firebender, for now."


	7. Leverage

Those first few days that Zuko was gone were the longest of Katara's life. She spent her time wandering the beaches, the ocean below, the marketplace and every nook and cranny of Ember island. Although it was all very beautiful, there was little to do without him at her side.

The third morning he was gone she awoke almost by the time the afternoon rolled around. She met Iroh in the dining hall and they played pi sho together. After these few days, she'd gotten a little better, or out of pity he wasn't trying as hard to beat her. And though it took a little bit longer he beat her.

"Iroh you always beat me at this game." Katara whined at him.

"Well Katara, like wine, the older I get, the better I am." Iroh laughed heartily. "So you have not received a reply from the avatar as of now?"

"No." Katara sipped on her cup of tea. "Aang hasn't sent me a reply. I'm getting worried. He won't ever forgive me will he?"

Iroh looked at her concerned. "I would be surprised if he holds a grudge. It's not like Aang to hold onto his anger. However it may take time before your relationship will be repaired."

Katara sat there for a moment in silence. "I guess that's my own fault."

"Yes, but at the same time, you had good reason to do so. And if you don't look out for your own well-being few others will."

"You're right."

"Katara, you have a sweet considerate spirit that all people are drawn to. But you cannot always put others before your own needs. Even with my nephew, you must keep a level head and care for yourself. With time you will learn these things."

"Thanks Iroh."

"Whenever you need me, I will always be here for you."

Katara stood up from the table and went to the market to buy some fruit. At this point she knew many of the residents from the town who sold products in the market. She gave them greetings as she bought her favorite fruits and spices as she walked around. Some of the children playing in the square invited her to play hopscotch with them. She was kind of a marvel to them with her dark skin. Wherever she went she stood out, but in the best way. People on Ember island accepted and loved her for it. No prejudice attached.

Katara returned home in the late afternoon. She left what she had bought in the kitchen and went outside. The world was hitting that point in the day where everything looked like it was shown through a golden window pane. A warm summer breeze was blowing through the trees. She went down by the sea to lay down. She quickly fell asleep. Her dreams were of her hand in hand with her love strolling down the seashore.

Cold hands covered her mouth and jarred her out of her sleep. Her eyes shot open. All she could see were the waves crashing against the sand. As soon as she moved her hands to bend water to her aid, another pair of hands grabbed her arms and pulled them tightly together. Katara roughly twisted her body out of their reach and pulled the ocean's water toward her.

She hit one of the figures with a water blast and pulled another towards her by grasping his ankle with a water tentacle. A third figure ran up behind her and tackled her to the ground. Another man ran up and tied her legs. She soon was unable to move her arms or legs freely.

Out of pure desperation, Katara screeched "LET ME GO!"

They gagged her and placed a blindfold over her eyes. Katara heard them sloshing through the sea water onto a boat. For some time they silently rowed in the small boat until they reached a destination. Katara surmised they had reached a larger ship when she heard the noise of waves hitting a resisting force and felt the soothing rocking of a ship out in the open sea.

As soon as they reached the deck, they set Katara down. "We have captured the water bender Katara!" A raspy voice exclaimed. The ship erupted with cheers.

A sharp, commanding voice spoke soon after the cheers died down. "Well, I couldn't be more pleased. You all have done very well, I knew that I could trust you with this."

Another round of cheers broke out. The man spoke again. "I don't think the blindfold and gag are necessary any longer. She is our guest after all."

They removed them. The bright lights on the ship blinded her for a moment. But then she was able to see around. She was on a ship full of men. They were a motley crew. Some looked like they had been fishermen all their lives and others seemed to be merchants. There was an elite group that looked freshly out of the fire nation academy. They seemed to be on a fire navy ship. On the top deck stood a handsome man who seemed to be in his early thirties. His hair was back in a top knot and he was dressed in all black clothing. He and Katara made eye contact.

He spoke to her. "Welcome to our ship madame. Your arrival has been well, anticipated with much excitement. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Wu Shang. I am the governor of the Amaiko province of the fire nation. Soon to be a free country. We wish that circumstances didn't have to come to this. But your good _friend _the Fire Lord won't allow us to peacefully separate from his nation. So we had to resort to desperate measures. Anything that proceeds from here will be nothing _personal _at all. Just out of pure necessity."

Katara looked at him angrily. "You're insane if you think Zuko is going to allow this rebellion to flourish. He may not be cruel like his father, but that doesn't mean he's going to allow something outrageous like this to happen."

Wu just laughed. "Quick to defend him are we? No I'm not saying the Fire Lord is weak willed. Why do you think you're here." He began to walk toward her. "No darling, you're our insurance that he will comply with our demands."

Katara with false confidence said, "I am betrothed to the Avatar, you think you can hide from him? He won't rest until he finds me."

He again chuckled to himself, motioned for them to pull her off the ground and pulled out a piece of paper. He stopped six inches from her face. "_Aang, __Last time we talked helped me realize that you aren't ready to be in a relationship, let alone married. You've got the weight of the world on your shoulders, I asked you to put me before everything in your life and that was unfair of me to ask, because you can't. But I still needed someone to put me first. In my pain, I turned to Zuko and he was able to give me just that. He makes me feel wanted and loved. __If you want to come see me and talk about this in person, I am at the Fire Lord's summer home on Ember Island. If you don't, I understand. __Katara."_

The crowd around him responded with mocking ooos and aaahs. Katara sank into herself with every word he read, mortified. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes, she fought against the men who were holding her. She wanted so badly to attack the man mocking her pain.

"No, your 'betrothed' never received your letter. And we were so lucky to have seen that royal bird flying through the sky or else we would have never know what to use against the Fire Lord or where to find you. It was so kind of you to leave it detailed for us."

She could only squeak out a response, "That was meant for Aang."

"Well it's better that we got it. Very cold-hearted of you to do this with a letter. The least you could do is dump the avatar to his face." He shoved the letter into her clothing. "But you can have it back now."

This time Katara put all her force into her head and she jammed it into his.

Wu rubbed his forehead. "Take her to my chambers," he said to the men holding her. She looked at him disgusted. He whispered into her ear. "Don't look at me like that, trust me, you're safest down there. All the men up here, they'd be more than happy to pass you around all night. So you should be thanking me."

The men holding her took her through some poorly lit corridors until they reached a fairly large room with a mattress on the ground. There were candles lit and a fire nation insignia on the wall. They unbound her feet and closed the door on their way out.

"I guess all Fire Nation, captain's quarters look the same." She muttered to herself.

She spent the next half an hour scouring the room for any sharp object to slice her bonds but to no avail. The room was also void of any water for her to bend herself out of her situation. She took a moment to consider all the possibilities. If Zuko took advice from his uncle, he wouldn't give into this man. That's what she would want him to do. He needs to protect the interests of the Fire Nation. If he got their friends to help, she'd be found in a matter of a week. And it was very unlikely they'd be able to keep her from bending while in the middle of the ocean. She could escape on her own in a day or two.

Wu came while she was considering her odds. He came bearing food and sat beside her.

"First before you try to attack me, it would be a very poor decision. Remember I have all sway on the conditions of how you are treated on this vessel, so best to not upset me. Also I brought food." Wu offered.

Katara quickly turned away from him and scooted in a corner.

"Let me explain how this is all going to work. I have sent a messenger hawk to your lover and he will soon be scouring the world for you. I will await his agreeing to my plans. I will also give him a list of punishments we will perform on you as time goes by, the longer he takes to comply, the more tortures you will endure. Also any time you try to escape, I will have you punished. This should all be very civil and clean if all goes according to plan. If he surrenders control immediately, you will escape unscathed and your mind untainted. But it will get worse as time drags on. I am very impatient and I have a very vivid imagination when it comes to causing pain. So pray he doesn't have a misplaced hero's complex."

Katara knew that Zuko wouldn't give in, and she was glad for that. But she feared what he had in mind to cause her pain.

"Why don't you just kill me?"Katara asked.

"Because, then we've lost our leverage. Causing you pain will hurt him, which will make him comply with our demands."

She feared the punishments to come so she humbled herself and she said, "Actually I think I will eat what you've brought me."

He chuckled and passed her the food. "Smart move, Katara."


	8. Cordial Conversations

**Hey Guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please read and review so I can know what you think! :)**

The food they gave her tasted like any normal grub fed to army grunts. It also looked like something that came out of the back of a turtleduck. She tried not to shrivel her nose up at its disgusting taste.

Wu noticed her disgust. "We only have military rations since this has the potential be a long journey at sea."

When she could no longer stomach it, she placed it on the floor and asked him, "So why exactly couldn't you just put me in the ship's brig and be done with it?"

"I don't understand why we can't be civil about it all."

Katara gaped at him, dumbfounded. "So you kidnap me, fully intentional on torturing me, but you think it's uncivilized to place me in the prison of your ship?"

"Yes." He said this very matter of fact-ly. He grew a flame in his hand and he wove it in and out of his fingers. The light from it brightened the room.

The conversation they were sharing was oddly cordial on his part considering the circumstances. It left a bad taste in Katara's mouth, which could just be remnants of the meal she just consumed. She didn't want anything to do with this man who was sitting beside her. What bothered her the most is she couldn't tell what he wanted from this conversation. For all she knew he was more than happy to just sit with her.

They sat there for a good half-hour not saying any words until she finally spoke up in a attempt to get him to leave her. "You're really young to be a governor."

He chuckled, still focused on the flame in his hand. "Yeah, I'm only half the age of normal governors. It's because my dad died and they promoted me to his position since I had military experience. When I rose to power, I had a lot of trouble with the cities surrounding mine. They all wanted to absorb us since my father died. I realized that the monarchy wasn't what we wanted to be a part of so we fought against the provinces around us and tried to break away. We were faced with fierce opposition and they sent in another governor from the capital city to take over my position. So here I am resorting to desperate measures." He motioned to Katara sitting, bound on the floor. "But really, what is a revolution without a struggle."

Katara listened to the story, but her mind wasn't completely present. Her thoughts were preoccupied with what Zuko was doing at the moment. She was worried he might do something rash out of anger.

"Well, I'm not sure you're approaching this wisely. Who's to say the Fire Lord will 'agree', you'll hand me over and then they won't turn against you and take over Amaiko?"

Wu looked at her with such confidence. "Fire Lord Zuko seems determined to be a fair and honest ruler, worthy of the throne he sits upon. If he went against his word like that, it would make him no better than the dynasty preceding him. A move like that would only fuel my cause further. No, he wouldn't risk it."

He had such a calm about his plans, he was prepared to use any means necessary to achieve his goals. His confidence reminded Katara of Azula, making her even more cautious of him.

"If you insist." Katara said, attempting to hide how unsettled she was.

He stood up from the floor where he was sitting and said, "I'm going to depart, but I shall see you soon. Oh and for your own sake, try to sleep, you will need your strength." He laughed at his final statement anticipating the pleasure he was to have the next day. With that he left the room.

When she could no longer hear his footsteps, she curled up and hugged her knees.

_I just have to endure. They don't want anything from me. I only have to endure. Zuko and the others will find me soon and I will be safe. _She reassured herself.

She forced herself to take his advice and try to sleep. So she crawled across the floor to the bed. It was quite comfortable, but it smelled like Wu. So she took a blanket and crawled to the other side of the room. Curled up in a corner, her breathing slowed down and her mind went blank and she fell asleep.

* * *

Zuko had woken up early that morning to attend a war meeting. He had made the call on his ship to the Fire Nation that they would replace the governor of the Amaiko province. That had fixed the main problems. From that moment on he was occupied with making amends between the provinces. He was supposed to be departing to return to Ember island this morning after this official treaty-signing ceremony. When he reached the war council room, he was met with some news.

The Fire Lord walked into the room and he was met with smiling faces. "Hello gentlemen. Now that we have discussed the terms of the compensation agreement, we can sign it and everyone will go home. Soon we will find Wu Shang and he will pay for all that he has done."

A servant handed ink and brushes to the governors. They both signed the agreement, and with the Fire Lord's stamp of approval, it went to be carried out. Once they had signed it, the men all cheered.

"Now if there is nothing else to attend to..." Zuko began.

He was interrupted by a page boy running in with a scroll in his hands. "Fire Lord."

All the men glared at the young boy, but Zuko looked at him with love. "Yes boy?"

The boy's eyes stared intently at the floor as he said, "This is urgent, for your eyes only."

Zuko grabbed the scroll out of his hands and began to read the letter out loud.

"_Fire Lord Zuko, with the utmost respect I must offer you my demands. Give the Amaiko province back to it's people and I, their rightful governor. Allow us to live separate from your nation. It is only our natural right to be able to rule ourselves. To make sure you comply with the most haste, I have taken the liberty of inviting your Katara into my care until it is all completed. The longer you take, the more pain she will have to experience. I eagerly await your reply and compliance, Your servant, Wu Shang."_

The men standing around stared at Zuko as the fires in the room grew until they were engulfing the ceiling. His hands were shaking as he gripped the letter tighter and tighter. Once he noticed the fires, he slowly took a deep breath. The fires receded back to their normal height.

"Well, tell me what you all know about Wu Shang." As he spoke his demeanor was noticeably different. The governors were used to the cordial Zuko, even when times were serious. But now his tone was demanding and angered, as if he was ready to use any means necessary to achieve his ends.

The new Amaiko-province governor spoke up. "He was a very talented soldier in the army. He was made for it. He had no remorse when he killed, but he had maturity to know when to use that lethal force. He was an amazing orator, which is why he was able to lead the whole province in an uprising behind him."

"Where do you think he would be?" Zuko was trying to keep his hands from shaking, he didn't want his men to believe he would give up the pride of his nation to retrieve the waterbender, even if he was seriously considering it.

"It's likely he could be anywhere. Where was Katara seen last?"

"Ember Island."

"Well then my Lord he is probably at sea somewhere."

"Well of course I know that." Zuko was desperately dousing his temper and attempting to keep calm.

"He has no friendship outside of his city, so he will probably will stay at sea until he receives your surrender."

Zuko again thought about the possibility of giving up the province. "No. We will not give in to his demands. Katara is a strong woman and she can handle herself. But in the mean time, I want every available Fire navy ship out on the sea looking for their boat. I will reach out to our friends in the Earth Kingdom, Water Tribe, and the Avatar. This must be kept quiet so he will not find out our plans and try to punish the Waterbender Katara for our efforts. I want you to begin to root out his warriors in Amaiko and place them in the Boiling Rock. This man will learn not to cross the Fire Nation and our allies."

* * *

_The South Pole was warmer with Zuko at her side. As they walked through the town, they were greeted by townspeople. Each of them wanted to be introduced to her beloved. She walked up to her own home with him, before they entered, she looked at his face for assurance. Zuko smiled warmly at her._

_"It will all be okay." Zuko kissed her._

_Katara smiled, but couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding. As they entered the house, there was her father and Sokka standing by the fire. _

_"Father." Katara said. "I need to talk to you."_

_Hakoda smiled at her and said "After the wedding, we can talk all you want."_

_Sokka laughed, "Okay sis, go get ready, I'll take Zuko to his place."_

_Katara began to get ready by herself. As she was putting on her wedding gown, a woman began to take her hair out the braid it normally sat in and began to put it up. Katara turned around and found her mother straightening her hair._

_Tears fell from her eyes, her voice choked on years of words she could never say._

_"Mom," she managed to spit out. She felt like a little child all over again._

_"My darling Katara. You didn't think I'd miss your wedding day."_

_A moment later the wedding music was playing, a classic water tribe piece on the flute. Katara breathed in deeply and walked past her friends waiting outside the igloo. Many faces from years of adventures were gathered in the South Pole. _

_When she reached the altar, she then saw the face of her groom. Aang stood before her, a big stupid grin on his face. Katara stopped dumbfounded._

_"Sokka, this isn't funny." Katara said, attempting to not make a scene._

_Aang reached out for her hand. "What are you talking about sweetheart?"_

_"Don't call me that," She asked them, irritated "Where's Zuko?"_

_Sokka looked at her from Aang's side. "Little sis, he can't bother us anymore, stupid firebender. I sent some dad's troops to dispose of him."_

_Katara looked at him in horror. "What? Go stop them right now, Sokka!"_

_Aang touched her face, "he won't be able to hurt us anymore."_

_"Hurt us? You're the only one that hurt _us._" She glared at him and stepped out of his reach._

_Kaya stared at her. Her face grew cold and unfeeling. "Katara don't you care about me? Why would you marry the man who murdered me and took so many of our people."_

_Katara shivered from her mother's words. "Mom Zuko never touched you. He's not like his father, he's kind and considerate of other people. He loves me and treats me better than Aang ever did. Please trust me."_

_Kaya turned away from her and into Hakoda. "Who has our daughter become? Why would she want to marry a monster?"_

_Hakoda said to his wife, glaring at Katara. "Don't worry she'll be back to normal once we rid the world of that fire nation scum."_

_Katara realized what he meant and frantically ran to the boats. She could see in the distance they had tied Zuko to the mast of one of the ships. The men of the water tribe surrounded him and were jeering at him and stabbing at him with spears. Aang was also standing on the boat, watching them attack her beloved. Once she was within bending distance she tried to shoot water at the boats, but her bending wasn't working. So she continued to run onto the boat and up to Zuko. She stood in front of him and screamed._

_"What is wrong with ALL OF YOU!"_

_Aang looked at her. "He is our problem. Without him we are perfect."_

_"We have never been perfect. To get to him, you'll have to go through me." Katara stood tall, blocking their attack path. She pulled out her water whip._

_The water she was bending caught something. A grunt sounded behind her. She turned and found Zuko bleeding from the neck. She fell to her knees at eye level with her firebender._

_Katara, panicking put her hands up against his neck. "I'm so sorry, I'll fix it."_

_He pulled at her hands, his bonds were magically gone. He said quietly. "It's okay."_

_"No I have to save you." She said to him, desperately trying to heal his wound with her bending. No matter what she tried, his wound wouldn't close. Cradling his face with her hands, she kissed his lips and the last of his life force was put into pressing his lips onto hers._

_"Please don't leave me." She was holding his face close to hers. The muscles in his neck relaxed so that she was the only this holding him up. She looked into his eyes and they were rolled into the back of his head. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face into his chest._

_Aang came up behind her and grabbed her by the shoulders, hoisting her to her feet. "It's okay Katara. I've got you."_

_"Let go of me." She said with unnerving calm._

_Katara turned around to look Aang in the face and she was met by Wu's eyes. Angrily she clawed at his face and broke away from his grip. When she had freed herself she pulled out her water whip and moved her arms to trap him in water. But as she moved, hands grabbed her wrists and shoved her to the ground. She was flailing around madly to attempt to free herself from their grip. One of the grabbed her legs and the other her arms. Wu stood over her and knelt so he could speak right to her face, in that moment Katara realized how utterly helpless she was in that moment._

_"This will all just be easier if you sit back and cooperate. You make things harder for yourself." Wu lifted up his leg and knocked her out with a swift kick to the face._


	9. A Poor Decision

Katara woke up in a cold sweat. Shivering, she stood up and moved around the room. Her subconscious fears had slapped her in the face in her dream. The candles that were lit when she fell to sleep had burned down to almost nothing, which told her the morning had come. But since she was trapped in the room, she decided she would meditate.

The room that she sat in reminded her of her few experiences on a Fire Navy ship. The most prevalent was after Aang was hit by Azula's lightning during the summer when she first met him. Everyday she would go in there and treats his wounds. She would sit there and worry that he would never wake up.

She wanted to leave this room. The memories flooding her mind were too painful, especially in light of that disturbing dream she had just had. As time dragged on she continued to slow her breathing and focus on her chakras. Her mind slowly began to empty of all the circumstances surrounding her life. She was just a part of the universe, but as soon as she felt free of her burdens the door burst open.

Wu accompanied by two of his grunts had entered her false sanctuary. Katara stood up from where she was sitting and put out her hands in a surrendering fashion. Wu motioned for his men to go tie her up. He had the most satisfied look on his face, but he also seemed as if he was anticipating something. Katara noticed this expression and realized what was likely to be coming next. But she couldn't really struggle against the inevitable, so she prepared herself to face whatever circumstance was coming next.

They led her out of the room and onto the deck of the ship, what seemed like the whole crew was waiting for her to arrive. It seemed as if she was some form of sick entertainment to them.

Wu walked out to the middle of the group and spoke with a voice demanding respect. "The Fire Lord has refused to comply with our demands, so since I am a man of my word, our guest must pay the price."

He motioned to the men holding Katara. They took her to the middle of the deck where a pile of chains were rigged to a post. They untied her bonds and attached chain shackles to her ankles, waist, and wrists. The chains constricted her just enough that she didn't enough range of motion to bend. Two burly, tattooed men came out from the shadows and bended Fire whips into their hands.

Wu looked at her and said "You probably shouldn't face them for this."

Katara turned around and put her hands on the post. She braced herself for the beating to come. The anticipation of pain was maddening. She had never been whipped repeatedly with fire, so she had no idea what kind of pain she was in for.

A rush sounded quickly followed by the sound of the whip connecting with flesh. Burning pain flooded Katara's senses. She stopped herself from crying out. The next blow came rapidly after, the sheer downward force of it causing her to collapse onto the deck.

Katara grudgingly picked herself off the floor and leaned against the pole once more. The next lash invoked an involuntary cry out of her mouth. The men around watched with bright entertained eyes, however Wu maintained a stony grimace as she received her 30 lashes.

Once her punishment was over, Katara's back was numb with pain. There was no blood because each wound was immediately cauterized as the damage was done. But her back was red and swollen from the burns and cuts made into her. A very small piece of fabric held her shirt up, protecting what little dignity she had left. Her face was wet with tears she couldn't stop from falling.

Wu walked to Katara and said to her. "This is what the Fire Lord has left you to face. Alone." He turned his men, "please return Katara to my chamber. The rest of you, we have a vessel to run."

The two men, not too gently, led Katara into the captain's chambers. Once they had closed the door, she collapsed onto the floor which stretched out her skin. Whimpering quietly she moved her hand around to feel the wounds she had received. As she touched them, pain racked her body. The skin was hot and feverish. She wished she had water just for a moment to heal herself. She wanted the pain to leave.

She had only a moment to herself when Wu entered with a metal container.

"Lay on your stomach." He commanded.

Katara glared at him for a moment but silently obeyed. He opened the box and pulled out gauze, a mortar, pestle, and jars of herbs. He methodically mixed a few of the herbs together and placed the poultice on her skin. Katara cringed away from the cool solution. Wu began to gently rub it into her skin. Every fiber of her being was screaming to move away from him, but no matter how much she hated it he was trying to help her.

"It's such a shame. You have such beautiful skin, for it to be marred like this is a tragic occurrence."

Katara sat up and moved away from him. "You talk as if you're not the one who did it."

"If I didn't have to, I wouldn't hurt you."

Katara attempted to gain ground. "If you give me water for one moment, I could return my skin to its normal state."

Wu's demeanor immediately changed. He grabbed her chin and pulled her face close to his. He said, "You're a smart girl Katara. Don't ask me to something I obviously won't do. It will only put you out of my favor. Also, that poultice on your back will heal your wounds fully if you allow me to help you."

Katara shuddered at the thought of what being out of Wu's favor looked like if this was being in it.

"Now come here." He commanded.

Katara hesitated for a moment. So he said again, demanding. "Come here."

She crawled over to him and sat with her legs crossed. He returned to rubbing the herbs onto every part of her back. His ginger touch made her cringe. He noticed it, but continued to apply the medicine. Once her back was covered, he proceeded to wrap the cloth around her body. She stopped him "I can do that myself."

He ignored her desires. "Don't be ridiculous, I need to do it. Remove your shirt."

Katara blushed with embarrassment and horror. "I really don't think-

"I very well can't wrap your torso with your garment on."

"I can wrap it myself."

"No, remove your shirt."

She resigned and removed her shirt, immediately feeling one hundred times more vulnerable than before. He moved closer to her. So close that she could feel his breathe on her neck. Starting from the bottom, he covered every inch of her back with gauze, sealing in the medicine. The whole time he traced her body with his hand as he went around and around. She prayed that he would save her some embarrassment, but he allowed no inch of her to escape unviolated.

Once he finished, he grabbed a shirt from the drawers and gave it to her to put on. She hastily covered her body, resisting the urge to cry. She began to stand up but he interrupted her movement by saying.

"Stay on the ground. We have one more thing to accomplish. I have to write the next letter to your lover." He pulled out a roll of paper. "I think I know what I want to say. But I want you to hear it first. It will go as such. Dear Fire Lord Zuko, since you have denied my request, I was forced to have Katara whipped with fire 30 times. The longer you wait to comply, the more pain she will endure, and the more of her body will be marred. I await your reply, your servant Wu Shang."

"You're full of it."

"Excuse me?"

Katara looked up at his incredulous eyes. "You pretend like you had no part in all the cruelty you are committing. Like someone is forcing you to be a horrible person."

She expected him to be enraged, but Wu only grinned. "Well then, it must be a well-written letter. Thank you for your help." With that he left the room.

Katara examined her surroundings for any way to break herself out. The bed had been made and the candles replaced. She scoured every nook and cranny looking for anything she could use as a weapon but to no avail. She began to pace across the room trying to think of an exit plan. She couldn't take this abuse any longer. Wu Shang had crossed a line and she refused to stick around and see how much further he wanted to go.

A few hours after she had been put back in the captain's quarters, he returned with armed guards. The entered silently and restrained her arms and legs. Wu came and gave her water to drink, which she gulped down thirstily. Once she had finished drinking the water, the men left and Wu brought in food for the both of them.

He sat across from her and served their food. Katara ate silently and didn't look up from her bowl, but Wu studied her hungrily during the meal. With all of her soul she wished that Wu would just leave her be, but he intended to see her every meal of every day. When he left without a word, a servant girl, who looked like she was only about fourteen, came in and took the dishes from the room again leaving Katara alone.

Immediately once the door was shut, she hunched over and shoved her fingers into the back of her throat. She had never made herself puke before but she was willing to try to get herself out of this prison. After quite a bit of time, she vomited up the contents of her stomach, which was quite a bit of water. Pure joy welled up in her body, she found a smile stretched across her face. She couldn't believe this was going to save her.

Katara assumed the position and bended every ounce of water from her bile. It felt good to finally be bending again, even with these circumstances. She shot the water into the locking mechanism and sliced up to break the locks. She slowly opened the door and peeked her head into the hallway. It was clear. She sneaked out into the hallway and closed the door behind her.

Footsteps of what sounded like one person, echoed around the corner. Katara crouched into position and readied her hands to strike. The same young servant girl who had entered her room entered her room earlier had returned with a fresh shirt in her hands. Her eyes grew wide with shock and fear at the sight of Katara. Katara acted quickly and sealed the girls mouth with water.

She ran up to her. "Shhh. Please, I can't stay here any longer. You must've seen the whipping. I have done no wrong to be held prisoner and mistreated like this."

The girls eyes showed that she was no longer afraid. Katara melted the water from her mouth. The girl spoke. "The quickest exit is that way." And she pointed toward the next hallway. "Just follow that hallway then take a left. It's the door up the stairs on the right."

Katara nodded and followed the girls instructions. If she ever even imagined that she heard a sound, she tensed to fight. She turned left to the next hallway and was met by a guard who she quickly put out-of-commission by a hard ice ball to the temple. Once she saw the stairs, she took in a deep breath to prepare herself for the outside.

In that moment the door leading to the deck opened and Wu entered the hallway. He immediately recognized Katara and prepared to fight, his body crouched like a badger-panther ready to strike on its prey.

"This was a poor decision, waterbender." Calm disapproval coloring his tone.

"You mean kidnapping me? Yeah. It was." Katara raised her water and whipped at him with it.

He dodged her attack then shot multiple bolts of fire in her direction through the tips of his fingers. She wasn't necessarily surprised that he could bend fire, but she hadn't seen him bend yet, so it caught her off guard. The bolts were all spread out so that no matter where she went, she'd get hit. And she did. Fire burned her thigh and fore arm.

She froze the water she had left around his feet and pulled, knocking him off balance. He countered with another round of bolts which broke her concentration. She again received burns, this time on her stomach and neck. She quickly pulled the water back to her and shot it hard at him. But with a wall of fire he evaporated all the water she shot at him, leaving her weaponless. Out of desperation, she ran at him and tackled him to the ground. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled so that he was pinning her to the ground.

Katara squirmed under his body and tears began to fall from her eyes, sobs threatening to rack her body. He pressed her arms to the ground roughly with his hands, her body pinned under the weight of his.

He leaned in close, right next to her ear and said, "You've made a very poor decision."


	10. Bottom of the Boat

Wu called out from his position, "Yoon! Jung! I need your assistance!"

Katara began to struggle and fight even harder against his weight despite the pain racking her body. He shoved her forcefully down at the ground. She yelped.

"Quiet," he said calmly.

Katara couldn't help but fight against him with every fiber of her being. She continued convulsing every limb trying to find one weak point where she could get the upper hand, but he had sheer weight on his side. He again slammed her against the metal floor.

Footsteps echoed down the corridor. Katara began to hyperventilate. She was helpless. Even when she fought as hard as she could, he was still stronger than her. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing she could do to save herself.

Yoon and Jung gawked at the scene in the hall. Wu looked up at them and calmly said, "Will you take the prisoner down to the prison cell in the hull of the ship. Please have Sun prepare her clothes appropriate for labor."

The soldiers bent down and took a hold of her by the shoulders. Wu removed himself from his position on top of her and they dragged her to her feet.

Wu stood in front of her and said, "Apologize and all will be forgiven."

Katara raised her head to speak. "I have done nothing wrong."

Wu emotionlessly motioned with his head for them to take her away. They roughly dragged her down two staircases into the hull of the ship which was dark and cold. They threw her into a small cell. There was a single candle, no matches, and a small bucket whose use took a small stretch of the imagination.

Before they left her, she asked "Would you light this candle?"

They turned around. One of the soldiers smirked and turned his back to leave. The other looked at her with pity. He took her candle and lit it with his hand.

In a hushed voice he said "I'm sorry" quietly enough so only she could hear.

Jung yelled out at him. "Hurry up."

Yoon quickly ran back to his companion's side. As they walked out, Jung said "Why are you always such a pansy when it comes to women?"

Yoon slapped him in the back of the head and said, "No one should be left down there without a light. Why do you think the candle is down there in the first place?"

Katara couldn't hear the rest of their conversation because they quickly got out of her earshot. She leaned against the bars and began to mentally rethink why her escape plan failed, anything to keep her from dwelling on the inevitable punishment that awaited her soon enough.

But as her imagination began to wander, she put her hands to her face and found hot tears rolling down her cheeks. "Oh God," she cried. Despite her best efforts she was stuck here, in an even worse position than when she stared. And now she was facing punishment for her pursuing her freedom. However She had come to terms with that fact.

What she was attempting to ignore was the sinking feeling she'd be a prisoner for a long time. Long enough to become accustomed to this Merry-go-round of pain.

All she could do was stare at the wall and attempt to stop her tears.

* * *

Fire erupted from Zuko's mouth. He screamed out of anger. A soldier sheepishly walked into the room. "Uhhh, Fire Lord, Avatar Aang and your friends are here to discuss the search."

He straightened to regain his composure. "Send them in."

The soldier bowed and rushed out. Zuko sat down on his throne. Almost immediately Aang, Sokka and Toph walked into the room.

"Zuko!" Sokka said irritated. "Get down and come talk to us."

Zuko didn't move a muscle. "I must explain our situation."

"I think it's a little more than a _situation. _My sister is MISSING. You were supposed to be responsible for her, taking care of her. How could you let her out of your sight!?"

"Am I supossed to coddle her and keep her locked away? No, Katara has as much a right as you to take care of herself and do what she likes. I couldn't stop her if I wanted to."

Toph jumped in sarcastically, "Yeah it's not like Katara is a full-grown master waterbender who can take care of herself."

Aang winced at her comment. He had told Toph about their argument and Toph was on Katara's side. She had given Aang an earful of how

"I don't care how capable Katara is, it doesn't excuse Zuko's carelessness." Sokka retorted.

"Carelessness!?" Zuko said enraged. "I took every precaution to keep her safe. No one knew we were on Ember Island."

"Why were you even there in the first place?" Sokka asked.

"If you'd just let me tell you what happened you'd know by now."

"Okay, go ahead." Aang said. During this whole exchange he had just been silently observing the room. He was exploding on the inside. When he recieved Zuko's letter, it almost threw him into the avatar state, the first time out of his control since he was a child. He had kept himself under control, but barely.

Zuko looked at Aang peculiarly and then began. "Well Katara, without warning, showed up on my doorstep. She just needed a friend. So I took time and we went to Ember Island, but I had to leave to go take care of an uprising. In my absence, the insubordinate governor of the Amaiko province kidnapped her and is now offering her freedom for the independence of his jurisdiction."

"She was on a strange Island, Alone?"

"Of course not. Iroh was with her. She went out by herself."

"Why is this even a problem? You're the Fire Lord, you can give away whatever you need to." Sokka questioned.

Zuko glared at him. "You can't be that dense. I can't bend to the will of a terrorist, even for someone I love." He quickly glanced at Aang, who made no response. "This is more than my personal qualms, it's about the pride of the Fire Nation. You of all people should understand that."

Sokka frowned and said, "Well you should have found her by now, with all your resources?"

"That's why you're here right? So stop trying to pass the blame around and listen to me for once. We have to find her. And soon." Zuko became very grave.

Aang noticed his change in demeanor and said frantically, "What do you mean?"

"Wu is a very cunning and ruthless man. He has threatened to torture Katara and already has since I recieved his last letter." Zuko looked down at the ground.

"What!?" Sokka and Aang said simultaneously.

Aang began to speak, "What has he been doing to her?"

"I'm not sure to what extent her torture has gone, but I know he has whipped her."

Aang's tattoos and eyes began to glow, air began to rush through the room. Sokka put his hand on his shoulder.

Toph began to speak. "So what I'm hearing is we need to get busy now because Katara needs us."

"Toph's right," Sokka said, "where do we start looking?"

"She could be anywhere. But we are thinking they would stick to the seas since it would be easier to track them on land." Zuko suggested.

"Then let's go," Sokka said. They began to rush out. Zuko stopped Aang with a hand.

"We need to talk." Zuko said.

"It's okay. I don't blame you. I upset her. I pushed her away. Once she is safe, I'm going to make it up to her."

Zuko looked at him, confused. "Aang, wasn't that letter clear enough-

"What letter?" Aang asked.

"You didn't get a letter from Katara?" Zuko said slowly.

"Not other than the one she left at the house."

Zuko wrestled with bringing up everything that had happened in the last few weeks, how they had fallen in love, how she had resolved to write Aang, and how they intended to handle their newfound love. Aang needed to know, but he wouldn't be the one to tell him.

"Aang, you have to talk to her when we find her. A lot has changed. She came to me for a reason." Zuko said cautiously.

Aang looked at him for a moment. "I love her Zuko and I treated her so wrongly. If that means she doesn't want me anymore, we still have to find her. She has to be safe. It was my fault she came here in the first place."

"It's okay buddy." Zuko comforted him with his eyes, hiding his guilt, "Come on. We need to go."

Zuko and Aang joined them outside by Appa. Appa took one good look at Zuko and ran his humongous tongue affectionately on Zuko head to toe.

"Uhh," Zuko said, wiping his face. "Some things never change."

This put a smile on their faces.

Zuko described to them what areas they would be most likely to find them. He told them the areas they had been scouring.

Before they departed, Zuko gave them a warning. "Wu is ruthless and cunning. He reminds me of my sister. He can get people to believe anything. Don't underestimate him, don't let your guard down, and be careful. He is a skilled fighter and has a volatile temper. He's prepared for us to come and try to find him."

Aang looked at him gravely and said "He'll be lucky if he escapes with his life." Sokka nodded in agreement.

Zuko put his hand on their shoulders and said "Be smart, Katara won't be safe if youlose your heads and make a mistake."

The tension in Aang's body released and he cracked a pitiful smile. "I never thought I'd see a day where you tell me that I need to keep a level head."

The group chuckled. "Neither did I," Zuko said thoughtfully. "I'll see you soon."

With that they left on Appa and Zuko went down to the ports.

Once he was on board the royal ship, he turned to his captain and said, "Let's go.

* * *

Sun walked in to find a stoic Katara, staring at the wall. Her tears had dried in streaks on her face and her eyes were lifelessly looking at the groves in the metal around her. Sun approached her slowly and set down the package of clothes she had brought with her near Katara.

"Governor Wu told me to give these to you to put on. So you better do that quickly." Sun told her quietly.

Katara looked at the girl's face, it was the same girl who had given her directions on how to break out. She picked up the clothes. It was a plain red shirt and a black pair of pants.

"Can you tell me about him," she said as she began to change.

Sun looked at her with trepidation. "Well," she began, "He was always a generous leader, but he had very little grace for imperfections in those around him. We love him. All of the province does. I'm sorry you had to meet him under such strenuous circumstances."

Katara looked at her incredulously. "I don't understand."

"Why?"

"What?"

"Of course he flourishes in leadership, he's in control. When he loses control, that's when he is most dangerous." She said matter of factly.

"That's very observant of you," Katara said, pulling the shirt over her head.

"Even my father told me 'you need to be careful on that ship because a man obessed with control is most likely to fulfill his desires by force.' You are a prisoner. For your own sake, just do what he asks. Don't bother putting up a fight. But you didn't hear this from me." With that she picked up her old clothes and left the room.

Katara sat cross-legged and began to meditate. There was absolutely nothing she could do. It was maddening to be surround by water but have it just outside of her reach. The rhythms of the ocean which would normally be soothing to her fueled her frustration at the bottom of the boat.

**Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to update! College kicked my butt this semester. Hope you enjoyed! Please review, I love feedback (It keeps me writing). :) **


	11. Middle of the Ocean

While she was meditating, she eventually fell to sleep. She woke up to the clanging of metal on the cold floor. She sat up from where she was lying on the floor and looked up to see who had joined her. Jung had brought her food down.

"Eat up," he said mockingly. "You're going to need your strength."

Katara's heart dropped into her stomach. "What do you mean?"

Jung chuckled. "What else would I mean by that? You tried to escape. What else did you think would happen?"

At this Katara let out a quiet snort. "I thought I'd escape." She said condescendingly.

Jung squatted down to look her in the eyes as he said, "Then you are paying the price for your foolishness."

Katara picked up the food but couldn't eat it. Just the sight of it made her nauseous. He noticed the look of dread on her face.

"Our food's not good enough for you?"

"I'm sorry if my lack of appetite offends you in the wake of my imminent demise," she said facetiously.

"Well you either go now or you eat and wait a little longer."

Katara weighed her options for a moment, swallowed her pride and began to eat. Jung chuckled and said, "That's what I thought."

She ignored his comment and slowly chewed, taking her time to consider each bite as it passed through her mouth, down her throat and into her stomach.

"Why are you all following Wu like this?" Katara asked him bluntly.

Jung looked at her condescendingly and said, "You wouldn't understand. Wu is a strong leader. A little eccentric? Maybe. But his methods work and he takes care of those he governs. That's someone I respect."

"You call kidnapping and torturing me, 'eccentric'? It's downright insane. He's a power-hungry control freak." Katara was getting flustered at this point.

"Shut your mouth." Jung demanded. "Wu is a more than competent leader. He is just using these methods to achieve the desires of the people."

"A ruler who is cruel to his enemies will be just as cruel to his subjects." Katara said quietly.

"Okay, you're done. Get up." Jung roughly grabbed her by the hair and dragged her to her feet.

Katara pulled on his hands with her own and said, "All you had to do was ask."

Jung pushed her on the back and said "Just go."

He led her back through the hallway and out to the deck. He tied up her hands with a coarse rope and pushed her down to the ground. "Sit. And Don't even think about bending."

But bending was all that Katara could think about. She surveyed her surroundings. There were about 10 men on the deck, one of which included Wu standing at the head of the ship. Some of the men were sitting around playing pi sho, others were eating some of the rations they had been given. There were a few men actively tending to the ship. Some of the men noticed her presence on deck and got the other men to observe her misery. Her face flushed and she turned away from them. This got a rise out of them. One of the men from the pi sho table stood up from the game and walked over to where she was sitting.

"Are we embarrassing you waterbender?" He squatted down next to her, causing her to turn away from him.

Responding likewise, he grabbed her chin and pulled it close to his own face. "Better be careful," she continued to not look him in the eyes. "Somebody might take your body language the wrong way, you could offend someone."

The crew laughed at his jesting with her. The man then leaned in very close to her ear and said much quieter, "You don't want to make a wrong move, especially with a man like Wu around. Short temper but a lot of power at his disposal. He doesn't tolerate disrespect."

He then mockingly took her hand and kissed it. She shyed away from his touch but she couldn't escape it because of the wall closing her in. When he returned to his friends they all had a good laugh and went back to their game.

Jung had approached Wu and whispered into his ear. Wu slapped him on the back encouragingly and turned around sharply. He looked at Katara with distaste and called to another man. He spoke to him, but Katara couldn't make out the words. The young man walked over to Katara and said, "Clean the deck."

"With what?" Katara said with very little tact.

The young man went and picked up a bucket of water and a coarse sponge and slapped it down at her feet. "Don't even think about it." He said, knowing her desire to bend herself out of the situation. All she had to do was jump off th side of the boat. But if she failed to escape a second time, she feared what pain may follow.

So she resigned herself as she picked up the sponge and began to clean the deck. She actually enjoyed feeling the water against her hands, but it was equally as maddening that she couldn't bend it.

For hours she meticulously cleaned the deck, every nook and cranny so that he had no reason to be upset. There was always someone watching her to make sure she didn't try to escape and Wu stayed in her line of sight at all times.

The sun was beating down on her with its full force. Sweat would have been pouring off her body if she was not so dehydrated. It was so hot she had to resist the urge to drink the bucket water. Her whole body was aching by the time she reached the other edge of the ship. She was on the verge of collapse when she looked at the man watching her and said "I'm done."

Wu looked down at where she was standing. He leaned over to Jung, who quickly ran down below deck. Almost immediately, the entirety of the crew came out on deck with their dinners and began to eat. Katara watched in disgust as they spilt food all over and trampled it down into the crevices. Almost as soon as they came they had left and Katara's clean deck was littered with filth.

"So you said that you're done." Wu commented as he walked down to where she sat. "You've been working out here all day and you haven't even made a dent in the trash covering my deck. And you have the gall to say that you're done?" He said with fake offense.

Katara began to realize what his game was. Tears began to flow from her eyes. She was so done with him playing games with her. She was too tired for that. She was too tired for anything.

Wu squatted down to her level, she moved instinctively away from him. He grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled her close to him. "Apologize and all will be forgiven." He said lovingly into her ear.

She struggled to speak through her sobbing. "I have done nothing wrong."

Wu abruptly stood up and handed the bucket she had to Jung. "Katara is going to clean her mess. But I think she's going to need more water."

Katara swallowed her fear, stood up and said louder, "I have done nothing wrong."

Wu looked at her with contempt. He whispered to Jung who grabbed Katara by the arm and took her to the whipping post. Her back spazzed in anticipation of the pain she was going to endure. She silently accepted them strapping her to the post and whipping her 20 times with fire.

After he had her whipped, they took her back to the bucket where she just lay there and tried to sit up. Her body was so tired. She just needed a moment. A moment to rest her head. Taking a risk, she dipped her bound hands in the water and placed it on her back. The cool water hurt but also helped. She began to heal her wounds. Jung came over and kicked her upside the head.

Something snapped on the inside of her. She froze the water on her rope bonds and snapped them off. She stood up as best she could and pulled water from the ocean and froze it around Jung's head. She kicked him in the stomach to knock him over. Wu shook his head disappointedly and charged at her full speed. She hosed him right in the gut with ocean water and froze him to the wall.

Wu called out "Don't let the waterbender escape!"

Katara, already close to the side of the ship, jumped off into the ocean. She stayed beneath the surface and formed an ice spike. With the ocean rejuvenating her aching body, she threw the spike into the hull of the ship. She came up to the surface and created an ice boat for her to stand in. She watched as the boat sank and the fire nation men abandoned the ship. She created an ice platform they could get onto so that they wouldn't drown.

She took ocean water and began to heal the wounds on her back as she watched they men one-by-one climb onto the raft.

As she watched them, she realized that there was more than just men on the boat. Hastily, she jumped out of her raft and into the sea. She propelled herself toward the sinking ship. She could see Wu was still frozen to the boat, she'd cross that bridge later.

Katara ran through the ship looking for Sun. Finally she found her in the kitchen pinned under a large cabinet filled with pots and pans.

"Please help me," Sun looked at her helplessly.

Katara looked at her with pity. "Don't worry, I wouldnt leave an enemy, let alone a friend behind."

Sun began to cry with relief as Katara pulled her out from under her death trap. They ran through the halls looking for anyone else but they had all escaped. When they reached the deck, Wu had freed himself and was swimming away from the boat. Katara saw Jung and unfroze his head. She propelled the three of them to safety.

Katara with everything in her wanted to leave them all floating in the middle of the ocean. But she couldn't. Despite how horrible they had been to her. She couldn't just leave them. So she attached the raft they were on to her own little boat and began to bend, pushing them to safety.


	12. Grace and Anger

Zuko scanned the horizon tirelessly until he felt he would go blind. The deep blue of the ocean seemed to call to him, just like her eyes. The water taunted him, saying "You'll never find her." There were so many questions running through his mind, _Am I ever going to find her? Will I just have to give up the province? How much has he hurt her? What will we do when we all gather back together? Is she going to tell Aang or will she go back to him?_

Endlessly the questions hammered against his thoughts and attempts to avoid them. He longed to just go back to when he left her and instead take her with him. Then he wouldn't be facing these endless questions.

Iroh startled Zuko out of his depths when he said "Firelord."

He nearly jumped and said, "Have you found anything?"

Iroh came up beside him. "No Zuko."

"What do you need?"

"Interesting," Iroh said with a mischievous smile covering his face. "I was going to ask you the same thing."

Zuko resisted the urge to hurl himself into the ocean to stop all of this.

While thinking of something to say, Iroh spoke again. "Zuko when we find her, there will be a lot of adversity you will have to face. You must be preparing yourself now how you will handle it, with grace or anger."

"You think I'm not worried about that? That's all I can think about! I don't know what is going to happen and there's nothing I can do to fix this whole situation. She's gone. I don't even know if she is still alive."

Iroh sighed and shook his head. "She is alive, Shang has to keep her alive. But these problems that are to come, you cannot change their presence in what will follow this ordeal. As I said, you must determine how you will handle it when it does."

Zuko closed his eyes and took a deep breathe. The words he feared to speak weighed down his tongue. He took another deep breathe. "I could lose her uncle." He said with his eyes still shut.

"And why would you lose her?"

"I couldn't protect her."

"You did everything you knew to do. It was her decision to stay on the island. I had to come to terms with the truth that I was not with her when she was taken, nor was I aware for many hours that she had been abducted. I could have easily allowed that guilt to eat me alive. If I was able to overcome that and forgive myself, you should forgive too."

Zuko opened his eyes to again take in the view that tortured his soul. "Aang never received the letter."

"The letter explaining her situation."

"Yes," Zuko mumbled. "So Aang still thinks Katara wants to marry him."

"That is easily fixed, painfully, but easy. This is the course you chose, Firelord."

"NO UNCLE." He lost his demure for a moment and every crew member glanced at him with surprise before quickly returning to his or her work. Zuko breathed again, in rhythm with the waves. "It will not be easy. None of this is going to be easy, when Katara and I have to explain to Aang, Toph and Sokka that Katara is coming to live with me for longer, not her fiance, as far as they know. When Katara sent off that letter, she was heartbroken. I am going to have to watch her reopen that wound that is all because of me. Pain is the only path I see ahead."

"You will navigate that path together," Iroh looked out on the sea with him, reflecting. "Katara is strong, she knows how to handle herself. I'm sure she will be okay."

* * *

Katara was sitting on the ground as she watched as the people on the large ice block paid close attention to Wu Shang who was making no attempt to be subtle about his speech. He was waltzing around with false authority in every movement. Every movement that he made shot more fire into her veins. Before she lost her guts to do so, she walked onto the ice raft.

Wu Shang turned around and greeted her with a smile. "Well hello Katara."

She despised that although she had every bit of leverage, he behaved as if he had the upper hand. His shoulders remained back and his posture relaxed.

"And to what do we owe the pleasure?"

Katara resisted the urge to throw him off into the ocean. "I have a wager for you."

He raised his eyebrows with delighted curiosity. "And what is that?"

She ignored his question and went straight onto terms. "If I win, you have to come back to the fire nation capitol and turn yourself in."

There wasn't a trace of displeasure on his face. "And if I win?"

"I will take you back to Amaiko, and leave you alone."

He shook his head. "That's hardly a fair wager Katara, darling."

"Sorry to break it to you but you don't have much room to negotiate here." She said with a mocking sweetness in her tone.

"Hmm," He wondered. "Well, tell me the wager."

"I challenge you to an Ag Ni Kai of sorts. A duel." She scanned his face carefully.

Shang folded his arms and chuckled quietly. "You're going to have to make the deal sweeter for me to agree to a one-on-one match with a waterbender in the middle of the ocean, on ice."

Katara held his gaze, daring him to challenge her with her eyes.

"How about, if I win, you not only take us back, you also will stay with me and agree to follow my orders. That means you can't try to escape. Well, if you're a woman of honor you wouldn't." He was taunting her with his words and she knew it.

But she didn't care. "Good, then its settled, you'll take my bet?"

"I'd be delighted. Tomorrow then?"

"Tomorrow at dawn." Katara said confidently.

Wu laughed and turned around to return to his crew. They all looked to him expectantly. Katara saw their faces brighten when they saw his optimistic demeanor.

Katara breathed a sigh but no weight was lifted off her chest. _This is the only way to insure that they don't get away. It will ensure that I didn't go through this all in vain. _But she knew in her heart that she was deceiving herself. She just wanted a chance to wipe that stupid smug off his face and prove that she could overpower him. _I can do this _she thought, not so sure of what she was about to do. _I have to do this._

* * *

Aang gripped tighter onto the reins of the saddle. Toph was bickering with Sokka about the proper way to scan for boats in the water, Sokka completely forgetting that Toph is pulling the whole arguement out of thin air. Aang normally would find this hilarious, but he was too busy worrying about not seeing something clearly. So he tuned out the distractions and closed himself within his mind.

He had to find her. Her disappearance was all his fault. If he wasn't such an idiot back in Republic City they would already be married and not in this mess.

The shouting had gotten louder.

"Can you two please be quiet!" Aang snapped.

Sokka looked concerned as he spoke, "Aang, I know its hard right now,,,"

"Hard doesnt even begin to describe what I'm going through. It's my fault we are in this mess. If I had not been putting so many other things before the wedding, we would all be home safe and sound."

Toph snorted, quite loudly.

"Do you have something to say Toph?" Sokka asked condescendingly.

"Well sorry to break it to you Twinkle Toes, but you've got it all wrong. The main thing that was upsetting Katara was not you putting off the wedding, she understood that had to be done." She paused for a moment, as if waiting for an answer. "She was upset because you always left her behind. You didn't trust her and you certainly didn't have confidence in her abilities as a fighter. Trust me, any strong, capable bender would be livid from the way you treated her, especially coming from someone they love."

Aang thought about it for a moment. "Oh no.."

"Sure as Hell oh no! You can't just treat a strong woman like that. If either of you ever doubted my abilities for a second, I'd bury you alive. And you have the gall to do that with her, while cancelling your wedding date every other month? I'm honestly surprised you're still alive."

Sokka began to defend Aang. "But he was only trying to defend her and keep her safe. Taking her into the fight with him would just put them both in danger."

Toph looked out with sheer indigence, "Please never say that again. No wonder neither of you have locked down your long-term relationships. You both are misogynistic idiots."

Aang with determination said, "You're right, when I see her again, I am going to make it up to her, no matter what I have to do."


	13. A Fight to Finish

**Hey lovely people! The Semester is over, hallelujah! I hope you enjoy this chapter, please Read and Review! Also there's an A/N at the end.**

Katara's tired eyes locked on the eastern sky, waiting for the time to come. Impulsive decisions had become her specialty recently. Although it wasn't her wisest idea, she had to ensure that Wu would be locked away for the rest of his days. She had attempting to get some sleep, but she only succeeded in having quite a few nightmares. So she settled for staring across the water. The consistency of the current matched her heartbeat and comforted her. The rushing winds were warm, for that she was thankful.

She was just beginning to fear the moon would stay forever sitting in the sky, tormenting her with anticipation when light peaked over the horizon. Though relief rushed through her when she saw the warm light burst into the sky, her heart plummeted into her stomach as she stood up slowly. Her body trembled as she rose quietly, exhaustion filled every vain in her body. _Tired or not, I have to win this._ The distance between the two rafts wasn't very far, but she felt like it took a hundred years to make it over.

As the light grew brighter, she saw Wu meditating at the other side of the ice raft. All the men looked at her, smug and anticipating looks coloring their faces. They all were excited to watch her throw her freedom away, but that was not what she intended to do. She was going to win. For Zuko, for the fire nation, for the world, for herself. She set foot on the giant ice platform, her small figure didn't even shift the balance. Yet, all the same Wu stood at her entrance. Casually he turned around to face her, almost as if to show respect to her entering. But she knew better, she knew he was playing mind games.

A confidence rested in his face as he met her eyes. Katara spoke out first, "So, will you fight?"

He smiled, "Yes. I will. You are determined to keep your end of the bargain?"

She breathed in an attempt to keep her cool. "Of course, granted you keep yours. You defeat me, by yourself, and I will go with you compliantly. I defeat you, you and your whole crew must come back to the Fire Nation with me and you will be tried for your treason."

"That settles it then, huh." Wu crouched slightly into a ready position.

Katara matched his movements and immediately bent water out from the ocean, pulling it to her sides, ready for combat. "May the best of us win."

When the last syllable left the air, a tension lingered. They both diligently waited for the other to make a move. Slowly they began to circle one another in a deathly dance, whoever attacked first would be left vulnerable. Normally in an Ag Ni Kai, the fighting styles are at least the same element so there was an understanding of how the pace flowed. However, between two utterly opposite elements that countered each other, every movement had to be calculated with each counter-move kept in mind.

Katara jabbed her foot forward to taunt him but Wu remained unbaited, knowing she would do this. His apathetic response made Katara even more irritated. She slowly built an ice wall around the circle they were walking, small enough to only impair his movement. Katara took the water she had surrounding her and fashioned it into spikes she could use at any time.

Wu stayed cool-headed. He was unphased by every attempt she offered to distract him. Katara shot a spike directly in his path, he dodged it expertly and shot fire at her feet. She jumped out of the way and he rolled toward her shooting fire at her face. Katara stooped gracefully under the fire and spun to shoot more water in his direction. He shot the spikes away from him with a fire blast that made Katara's cheeks grow hot. She drew more water from the ocean and send it shooting at him. At first he ran towards the water, then he took a dive feet-first to Katara, knocking her off her feet. She rolled away to recover up on her feet, but he met her quickly with blows.

He had realized long before this began he was not going to beat a master waterbender on an ice raft in the ocean with firebending. He had to be smarter.

Katara engaged his martial arts, fighting with every muscle in her body. He swug at her face, she blocked in with a forearm then hit towards his neck. He grabbed her arm and spun it around. Katara followed it and shifted to his back, pulling away from him quickly. She took water and knocked him onto the ground. She then froze his left leg to the platform. Before she had the chance to do more, Wu had shot red fire from his feet, shooting him again to knock over Katara. This time Katara was prepared. She ran over top of him and kicked a good chuck of ice over to hit him in the face.

Sure enough, blood began to gush out of his temple, a small gash ornamented his face. A furious anger replaced his normal smug demeanor. He ran toward her, shooting fire all around her, trapping her in somewhat of a cage. She created a ice barrier around herself. Wu began to melt the globe when Katara melted a hole just big enough to jump through and tackle Wu. She quickly picked herself up and imprisoned Wu in a wall of ice.

"Had enough yet?" She asked, pleased with herself.

Wu laughed, from his mouth shot fire that melted the ice very quickly. He regained his footing and stopped for just a moment, but Katara was not finished. She took her ice spears and cocked them, ready to fire. Wu began to move his arms, slightly like waterbending and blue lightning began to form. Katara moved to the balls of her feet and jumped away, but Wu predicted her direction and shot her right in the leg. The lightning tore through her clothing and scorched her skin. She stifled a scream as she stood back up on her feet just in time to block the fire whip coming toward her neck. She melted the ice around his feet and quickly froze it again, this time he was trapped down to his calves. Panic entered his eyes as she began to send water blast after water blast hitting him. His body flopping over, but still trapped in the ice.

Katara caused the ice to become water again and used water to shove his body down into the ocean. She froze over the hole again. Almost simultaneously, a fire blast came up from the ice and Wu shot up with the fire. He ran straight to Katara and grabbed one of her arms, her free arm took water and wrapped it around his leg, pulling him to the ground. What she didn't realize is he would hold onto her.

They both hit the ground with a thud. Katara scrambled away from as he attempted to bring her closer with fire. They managed to make it onto their feet again without injury. They made eye contact, followed by a silence. The adrenaline, numbing the pain in her leg, was beginning to fade. Every hour of sleep lost, meal missed, and beating she'd taken in the last few days began to weigh down her body. She tried to not look pitiful as she observed the unchanging Wu.

Blood was running down the right side of his face, but he looked as cool and collected as ever. She suddenly became extremely aware of the dozens of men watching their fight. Some had worried looks on their faces, others were sure- sure that their fearless leader would put the waterbender in her place and lead them on their way to freedom.

While she was enraptured by the crowd watching them, Wu discretely formed lighting and held it close to his chest, ready to unleash it at the perfect moment. Meanwhile Katara's eyes had made it to Sun who looked very distraught, her gaze fixed on Wu. The alarm in her eyes looked like it was going to burst out of her mouth. The world felt like it was moving in slow motion as her heart jumped out of her chest. She squared up to Wu just in time to see the lightning leave his fingertips. She threw up her arms in a feeble attempt to block the incoming electricity as she was knocked into unconsciousness by the blow.

* * *

Aang didn't know what to expect when he found her. Katara was strong, but most people could not withstand such intense torture for such a long time. Would she be a shell of her former self? Would she still love him? He needed her to be okay. They had separated on poor terms. So when they saw the modified Fire Nation ship from far away, he prepared himself to not hold anything back.

"Okay, what's our plan of attack?" Sokka said determinedly.

"Find Katara." Aang said, focused on the ship. He grabbed Toph and Sokka and jumped down towards the ship.

"What are you DOING!?" Toph yelled angrily. She hated heights and falling.

Aang cushioned their halt to the ship with air. As soon as Toph's feet connected with the metal deck on the ship she said "Now this is more like it."

A group of sailors who had been resting on the deck looked dumbfounded as Toph enclosed they each in their own personal ball of metal. Sokka threw his boomerang and Aang sprinted to the ship door, running down into the under belly of the ship with water by his side, ready to stop his foes. The few people he met along the way to the brig, he froze against the wall. He ran in the dankest part of the ship. He lit a fire to see, but there was only a young man sitting there.

"Hey, can you let me out?" The boy said distressed.

Aang looked at the boy, "In a moment."

Aang ran out as the boy yelled at him to come back, but he didn't care. He ran to every room in the ship, stopping every crew member asking where the waterbender was. She was nowhere to be found. Aang ran back out on deck to find Toph and Sokka arguing about who more successfully took down the crew.

Sokka and Toph turned towards him. Before they could ask he said, "She's not here."

* * *

A guard burst in to the Fire Lord's quarters. "Fire Lord!"

Zuko sat up, startled out of his light sleep. He looked at the guard groggily. The moment he registered the excitement on the man's face he jumped up out of his mat.

"You've found her."

"We see something out on the ocean, it looks like a block of ice. People seem to be using it as a boat. Now we aren't sure," He continued unsure of what to say next. The hope in his voice was plain.

"It's got to be her." His heart leapt out of his chest. "Prepare to attack."

* * *

Wu gazed down at his defeated foe. Her long dark hair framed her face. Her leg and arms were horribly burnt and she was glistening with sweat. She amazed him with her ability to enrapture him. He wasn't expecting to become so fond of his prisoner, but from the moment he laid eyes on her, he took special interest.

The roars of his adoring followers were deafening. He took a moment to look away from her to see their ecstatic faces, cheering him on in victory. He smiled at them. He was their champion, their savior, the one who would free them from tyranny. He loved being praised by them; he knew they would follow him anywhere, and he would take care of their needs.

"Now, we go home." He said, throwing the people into a raucous of cheers and screams of joy. He picked up Katara off the ice and motioned to the servant girl Sun to follow him.

Amidst the congratulations and pats on the backs, he carried Katara, her lifeless body hanging over his arms, to the main raft. He set her down gently as if she was as fragile as a feather. He leaned in close to her, smelling her hair and resting his lips on her neck. Her heartbeat faintly pulsed through her body. He sighed, relieved she was alive. Sun observed quietly as he called to her, "Go fetch me some gauze or cloth to bandage her wounds." Sun nodded and ran off.

Wu went back to taking in every detail of Katara. He looked at he calf where the first hit of lightening had struck her. He reasoned he ought to see all the injuries she had procured, so he carefully took off each of her garments. He grimaced, seeing the lighting had traveled up her arms and up the one leg, leaving her flawless skin marred. He touched the skin and it was hot as a fever. He carved out a piece of ice with a small flame and placed it on her skin. He slowly moved it over the feverish areas of her body. Sun came back with cloth and wrapped her wounds.

As he was caring for her, Jung came running to him. "Shang, there's a ship approaching."

Wu looked up, pleased. "Good, so they've found us."

Jung's face was distressed and urgent, "It's not ours."

Wu stood up immediately and spun 360, spotting the ship coming straight for them. His mind reeled, trying to find a way out of this. "Go alert the crew to be ready. We're going to have to be clever to get out of this one." He grinned, hoping to instill confidence. Jung chuckled, reassured by his fearless leader. He strutted back over to relay his commands. Wu went back to Katara. He jostled her, moving her arms and patting her face, but she was still out cold.

Frustrated, he called Sun to redress Katara and walked over to the men. Hiding his displeasure behind a smirk he said "We'll it seems, my friends, our victory has been short lived, but we will prevail in the end."

* * *

The sun had reached its place in the sky, its reflection glittering off the water. The perfect summer day warmed the air all around them.

Zuko burst with excitement. Dressed in his regal armor, he stood at the head the ship as they reached the ice raft. Zuko, along with a dozen soldiers, went to port, where the raft floated. He saw a group of men and a few women, dressed in mismatched clothing staring up at him, expectant, hoping for assistance.

"Who are you?" Zuko called out, still hoping that Katara was with them.

A rough, sea-weathered voice answered. "We are the crew of Wu Shang's ship."

Zuko felt every guard around him tense up, ready to fight. "And where is Wu Shang?"

"Gone." He replied. Zuko couldn't see exactly where the voice came from. "Your girlfriend killed him."

Zuko froze. _She's here. _He thought with excitement. "Where is she?" Zuko asked, masking his emotions.

A tall man came out of the crowd holding her in his arms, taking care to show she wasn't dead.

"Bring her up." Zuko said.

"How do we know you won't lock us up, or kill us if we do?" Their spokesperson asked. The other people in the group nodded in agreement with his question.

"I give my word that all of you will be treated fairly until we figure all of this out." Zuko said cordially. In no way could he completely excuse the actions of these men, but for now he could afford to wait until they had gotten into the Fire Nation.

"What's your idea of fair?" The man continued to try Zuko's patience obviously hoping to cut a deal with the one of the most important leaders in the world.

"We will allow you to stay in the ships quarters and brig, just for space sake, providing you ample food to eat and safe travel. But you will not be pardoned from your treason against the fire nation unless you are proven innocent."

"Fair enough, we'll get cleared boys." They all grunted in compliance.

Zuko stepped back and his head of command took position. He ordered his men to lower the ramp and instructed the crew to leave any weapons they have on the ice raft. They complied without question after he threatened to execute anyone who was found with anything that could feasibly be labeled as a weapon. As they filed up one by one they were checked for any dangerous materials and then lead to their barracks. Zuko scanned all the people coming up onto the boat, looking for the only face he longed to see. Finally within the last three people, a dark-haired man was carrying a woman. This woman, though darker skinned, was pale and lifeless. Her body hung unnaturally on the man holding her. She was clothed in tattered rags that only contrasted her beauty.

She looked so frail through Zuko's eyes. Never would he have imagined her to look like this, Katara was strong, unyielding and independent. She had a grace and stature that hung about her person, something normally found in royalty, and she was rightfully royal. But this palid, unmoving doll was only a shell of Katara.

Zuko furrowed his brow and waited for the harsh looking man to reach the top of the ramp. He approached the man, who avoided Zuko's gaze like the plague.

"I will take her off your hands." Zuko moved to grab her and the man shrunk away.

"Are you sure you don't want me to give her to someone of less importance? Or I can take her for you mister Fire Lord, Sir." The man bowed his head several times, which immediately began to irritate Zuko.

He glanced over at him commanding officer, who was still attending to the prisoners/not-prisoners. "You wait here please."

Zuko walked over and told his officer to take care of their needs, but to keep security around all the doors because they don't know if the had any firebenders on the ship and how many. All of this would be so much easier if Katara was awake. He could trust her. She has good judgment.

Once he felt secure in the situation, Zuko moved back over and motioned for the man to follow him along with another guard, just to be safe. They wound through the halls to the Captain's quarters and Zuko motioned for the man to set Katara down on the bed. He deliberately put her down with much care, which Zuko noticed with much interest as his hands lingered ever so slightly on her.

Almost to justify his behavior the man said "She took quite a beating, she passed out once she killed him."

Zuko nodded, carefully examining the possible threat in front of him. "You can go now. Thank you."

The Fire Lord told the guard to stay out there to receive news and send messages, firstly summoning the doctor on the ship. As soon as the door closed, Zuko dropped the carefully constructed facade he had kept up since Katara's disappearance. He sunk to the floor not taking his eyes off the crumpled waterbender in front of him. Not lingering too long, he stood back up and walked over to the mattress. Katara's body was only barely breathing as he came down beside it, propped up on him arm to see her face.

He kissed her forehead tenderly, almost as if she were glass ready to shatter. "I'm so sorry Katara, I found you too late." He sighed and began to shiver from how angry and afraid he was.

"I need you to come back to me."

**A/N: First! PLEASE read and review. Nothing would make me happier, and it motivates me to write more. Honest.**

**Second. I am more that convinced that Katara should have beaten Wu, but as I began to write the fight, I found it going another way. Since she was so run down by exhaustion, it was impossible for her to overtake such a skilled bender. I have no doubt in a perfect scenario she would have destroyed him! Thanks for reading!**


	14. Awake

Iroh followed the healer from his quarters on the way back to where Zuko sat beside Katara, who was still unconscious. He had refused visitors from anyone other than the healer, who had to prepare poultices and salts to care for the waterbender. Iroh hustled behind the frantic man who had already stretched his time thin. They turned down the dark hallways, a somber mood had crept through the ship.

Iroh worried for his nephew. Zuko guarded his heart carefully. He less and less often allowed people to see himself, raw and unfiltered. If he lost Katara, he feared his nephew would put up walls nothing could tear down.

"How is Katara? Do you believe she will live through this?" Iroh asked, hoping to get the hard facts he didn't know if Zuko could handle.

"Well, General Iroh, she underwent a lot of physical and it seems emotional stress during her time with Governor Shang. She sustained many injuries to her body. Her back has been utterly mutilated. Her body severely burned in multiple locations. She has two broken ribs and several broken toes. Her flesh has been freshly injured by lightning, which I believe has sent her into this coma." The man said, his voice strained and tired. He did not want to disappoint the Fire Lord.

Iroh breathed a heavy sigh. "Katara." He said under his breath. "Will she wake up?"

The man shook his head as he continued to hurry towards his destination. "Only time will tell. Her injuries are extensive. If she as strong as you all say, I'm sure she will pull through. But as I said, it will take time."

He put up one knuckle to knock on the door. "Lord Zuko."

"Come in." The Fire Lord answered, his voice subdued as if holding back tears.

Iroh walked in with the healer. Zuko knelt at the foot of the bed. His shoulders back, assuming his stature. Iroh noticed the dark circles under his eyes, telling the truth of his worry for Katara. Iroh, after thoroughly examining his nephew, glanced down at the crumpled girl lying on the bed. She was curled in, protecting herself from invisible enemies that plagued her dreams. She looked extremely frail, as if a touch would shatter her into pieces.

The doctor touched her sweating skin which was feverish to the touch. Zuko saw the concern on his face and said, "She just developed this fever once you left, and she finally moved." The authority in his voice waned, leaving a man fearing for his woman's life.

The doctor pulled out a green substance in a metal dish and began to slowly mix it. He used his firebending to slowly heat the mixture. "Both are good signs, Fire Lord. The fever means her body is now dealing with the toll all the emotional and physical stress took on her and her moving means she should wake up soon."

Zuko noticeably perked up at this news. "How soon do you think?" He looked hopeful, Iroh thought, thankful his almost-son had some good news for once.

"A couple hours at the soonest, depending on when her fever breaks and how well her body responds to this treatment. We aren't out of the woods yet, I'm afraid. She must get a proper amount of rest or else her body won't recover quickly enough for her to survive her injuries."

Zuko nodded grimly, he carefully watched the doctor's every move, examining his treatments, ready to stop it if something went wrong.

Iroh sighed. "Fire Lord, I think while he cares for Katara, you should come with me. Eat. Get some sun. You need to take care of yourself."

Zuko stood up slowly, unsure if he would go. As he left, his eyes lingered in the room, Iroh pulling him by the scruff of his neck. "Come, Zuko, you don't want to look half dead when she wakes up."

Zuko smiled. "Okay Uncle.

* * *

The bottom of the ship was musky, the air thick and hot. With the excess of human bodies, it was even more humid and unbearable. The woman had all been taken to the few cabins they had left that were reserved for excess soldiers. Down in the brig, the men all sat plotting. Wu sat in the back, eating the food they had been provided quietly. As they had discussed, no one would even look at him, let alone talk to him so he would not be set apart. He had been sending paper notes to the higher ranking officers among his crew.

_They believed our story immediately._

_Yes, but we have to act quickly while we have the advantage. As soon as Katara wakes up, she will be able to reveal that I am still alive and then we will never escape this tyranny._

_With us all in this confined space, it might be easier for us to pick them off one by one and take over the ship by brute force._

_That may be our best option, if we could somehow sneak men into other parts of the ship, we would be able to come at them from many sides._

_Yes. How long do you think we have?_

_Until sundown. Katara has already been unconscious since yesterday, she won't be for much longer, she's too strong for that. _

_Once we take all the soldiers out, what should we do with the general, the Fire Lord, and Katara?_

_We should make the Fire Lord agree to let us have the Amaiko province to ourselves, free of his jurisdiction. Then we will take Katara with us for good measure._

_What if they don't agree to let her come?_

_If she is a woman of her word she will come per my request and the Fire Lord will not be able to resist._

_I will tell the men to be ready for a battle. _

Wu took the paper into his hands and read the last message. He crumpled it up in his hands and lit a small flame at the corner of the of paper. It caught on, quickly leaving a pile of ashes in his hands. He watched as his call to battle spread and the quiet room began to buzz with electricity.

* * *

Zuko had not wanted to leave with his uncle, but he knew if he didn't comply immediately, he would have eventually been forced into leaving anyways. Thoughts of Katara plagued his mind. He longed to hear her say that she was okay. He wanted to see the damage done to her and how he could love her through it. But this waiting, it was torture. He needed to know. And he wasn't known for his patience.

He could hear somewhere on the outside of his mind, Iroh was talking about how fish colonies lived underwater during the time of the great lion turtles. All of which made absolutely no sense, considering that he just began to listen to his uncle's ramblings.

Iroh laughed straight from his belly. "You're not listening to me, are you?"

Zuko snapped out of his stupor and managed a chuckle. "You caught me."

"I noticed your confused look, and the lack of interruptions was extremely uncharacteristic."

Another genuine laugh escaped his lips, the warmth spreading across his body. He said this very little, but Zuko was thankful for his Uncle and his company. He was a father to him more than his own had ever been. He kept him on track constantly.

Iroh smiled at his nephew, glad he was beginning to regain the life in his eyes. "You look much better. Now we can go back. However, you must promise to always agree when I tell you to eat and lighten up or else you will die of starvation and stress by the time you turn thirty."

Zuko, now focused on leaving, had already made his way across the deck. It did not take him long to reach the hallway connecting to his quarters. He was seconds away from the door when the doctor opened the entry in a hurry, turning to see the Fire Lord he said, "She's awake," with an unreadable expression covering his face.

Zuko pushed past him into the dimly lit room. There on the bed, Katara was laying on one side, her body noticeably more relaxed than before. Her breathing was belabored and heavy. She noticed his presence and turned to look at the person who had entered the room.

Her eyes told stories of the abuse she had seen on the ship. Part of his longing to be near him, the other slow to trust him enough to allow him near to her. Zuko slowly approached her, sitting at the edge of the bed, not to rush her. Katara smiled softly, looking up at Iroh who was grinning at her through starry, mischievous eyes. He walked over to her and grabbed her hand, kissing it.

"Katara, I'm glad your awake," His aged voice holding a touch of softness. "I must apologize for ever allowing this to happen to you."

Zuko's eyes grew wide with shock as he watched his uncle with curiosity. Katara shook her head. "No," she said weakly, reaching up a hand to touch his bearded face. "This was not your fault."

Iroh kissed her hand again softly. "You are too gracious, little waterbender. We must speak about your experience, as soon as you are feeling up to it."

With that he retreated to the edge of the room, motioning for the healer to approach Katara.

The man took the hint, quickly, hoping to leave the couple to themselves. "Katara, how are you feeling?"

Katara took a moment, looking down at her extensively bandaged body. "As well as I can." She chuckled, then coughed, cringing from the pain that followed.

The doctor carefully watched her movements. "Would you mind describing to us what happened? Starting with your back."

Katara thought about it, all the memories flooding back in. Every fight flashed before her eyes. "Well, Ag Ni Ka," she pointed to multiple parts of her body. "I was punished," motioning to her back slowly, to prevent any pain. "I tried to escape," She showed the burns on her hands. Every word took a lot of thought as if her brain wasn't properly connected to her mouth.

"Was it all fire?" He asked, curious of her answers.

She nodded, wincing slightly. She had a physical memory of the fire whip tearing through her back. She tensed up and brought her legs closer to her chest.

"How is your pain?"

"Bearable." Katara said, what she felt right now was an intense pressure in her chest and some burning in her calf, but it was nothing compared to what she had just recently endured.

"Good." He caught Zuko's eyes, that longed to be with Katara alone. "I must go get you something for pain, I will be back in fifteen minutes or more."

With that he exited the room, Uncle Iroh following him out.

Zuko walked towards her, close enough to touch. She reached out her hand to him, he took it and she pulled on it lightly, beckoning him to her. He slipped off his shoes and slid next to her. She curled up next to him. She didn't want to think about what she had just escaped, or the pain she was reliving ever few moments. He put his arm around her and she felt safe. She looked up at him, his eyes were watching her with concern, waiting for her to push him away, overwhelmed. Tears flowed out of her eyes, sobs threatening to escape her lips. Zuko tensed and moved to separate himself, thinking his presence had triggered this. But Katara held onto the fabric of his shirt.

"No, Zuko." Her voice was gaining more strength. "Stay with me."

Zuko concerned said, "If you're sure..."

She leaned her head into his chest, unable to halt her crying. "I'm, I just can't, can't believe it."

Zuko gently pulled her closer to him, resting his lips on her forehead. "I'm so sorry."

She looked up to meet his eyes. The brokenness he'd noticed in her eyes was layered with determination and sure-ity. "Do not blame yourself."

Zuko said quietly. "I'll try not to." Katara snuggled up as close as she could to him.

She shivered.

"What?" Zuko asked, noticing her chill.

Katara waited for a minute, unsure of whether or not she wanted to be vulnerable. "He can't find me."

"I know. I wish I'd killed him myself." He said the last part quietly.

Katara jerked away from him. "What? Who killed him?" Part of her voice relived, the other regretful.

Zuko looked at her confused. "Did you forget?"

"Not that I know of?" She questioned.

"At the end of the Ag Ni Kai, you did. You ended him." Zuko said, cautious of shocking her into a coma.

"What?" Katara said. "I lost Zuko."

"What." Zuko said, hiding his anger.

"The last thing I remember is seeing his lightning coming for me." Katara said, he hand lingering where the wound was.

Zuko looked at her, deciding whether or not she was cohesive enough to be credible. "This has to end. He's going to pay for this."

**A/N: Zuko said it! This is going to end, soon. Maybe a chapter or two left until the story is completely resolved. We'll see if Zutara can survive this ordeal. I hope you liked this short chapter, if so. Please Review! I love feedback!**


	15. More than the World

**Please Read and Review!**

"Zuko," Katara said. She pushed her frail body up from the mattress, putting a little distance between her and Zuko, leaning up against the wall. She looked him directly in the eyes. "Where is Wu?"

Zuko's heart stopped. He quickly thought through all the people he saw. He hadn't recognized any of the men who came on the ship. However, he had eyes only for Katara when they first boarded the ship.

He could feel his temper beginning to get the best of him. He clenched his fists and his chest began to burn. "I don't know. The crew said that you killed him..." He began to ramble quietly. He stood up quickly and went to the soldier outside the door. "Go inform the captain that all the crew from the other ship need to be locked in the brig immediately. Wu Shang is alive. And he is somewhere on this ship."

Zuko closed the door loudly. "I should have been more careful. I should have made sure he wasn't here. I can't believe I just listened to them."

His whole body was tensed and irritated, the sense of urgency buzzing through his body. He glanced over at Katara, who was staring blankly at the wall. Her body was trembling, her arms crossed tightly to her body to try and conceal it. Zuko took a deep breath. "We are going to find him. He can't hide."

Zuko moved to touch her, but Katara quickly moved away. To hide her reaction, she simultaneously began to pull off her bandages and examine her wounds. They stung like frostbite. Zuko edged away from her to give her space. He quietly sat at the edge of the bed as she touched the more tender places. A lot of her skin was covered in bandages, which she removed to lightly touch the red inflamed skin. She bended water out of the basin onto her skin. As the glow grew brighter, the redness began to fade.

Zuko observed silently, admiring her strength. He could only imagine the thoughts running through her head. He knew it would be different, and it was, but she was still Katara. Her eyes still blue, though tired. She still sat here taking care of herself, fighting. He patiently watched her methodically heal herself, as if it was something she had done hundreds of times.

Katara's mind was running a million miles a minute, doing something kept her from having a panic attack. The cathartic motions continued until she had taken care of every wound, except her ribs, that would have to heal at their own pace. She didn't look at Zuko but she could feel his eyes watching her, burning a hole into her hands. She wanted to tell him what happened, she wanted to cry and ask him to hold her until she wasn't shaking anymore.

Once she finished examining every place her body hurt and even where it didn't, she put the water back into the basin. She redressed her wounds, which now hurt considerably less, and sat up. Breaking the tension, she looked up to meet Zuko's concerned eyes. She began, her voice raw from lack of use,"Shang will be on this ship. All he care about is taking over, and the easiest way to do that is get an advantage over you. You need to lock everyone on the ship away until we know where he is. But know, he probably already is ten steps ahead of us."

Zuko could feel her distance from him. He stared at the rug on the ground. "I will make him sorry he ever took you."

Katara smiled weakly "I'm okay Zuko."

Zuko reached out to grab her hand. "I know you are. You're strong enough to take this, but I'm not. I refuse to let him go unpunished for any moment he kept you prisoner."

"You're so dramatic." She laughed, this time the smile reached her eyes.

Zuko slowly leaned in and pecked her on the lips. She shuddered, half from pleasure and half from fear. He looked her in the eyes. "He will answer for every moment of torture he put you through."

Katara's eyes began to water. "Zuko," she choked out. "I'm so sorry."

"Shhh" Zuko countered quickly. "It's okay."

"No, it's not. There's so much." The tears kept her from speaking. She covered her face with her hands and cried, her body shaking with every sob. Zuko scooted over to her and put his arm around her. She turned into his chest, his arms now fully wrapped around her body. He held her as her tears ran out.

"I should have never gone out alone." She said.

"I should have never left you." He said, contrasting her statement.

"You had to leave." She replied, justifying him.

"And you had no reason to fear going outside alone. We can't live in a place of 'should haves' and 'shouldn't haves'. If I still did that, I wouldn't be able to be Fire Lord. I would just be curled up in the fetal position in my bedroom. We can't control every little thing that happens to us, we only control how we respond to it."

Katara laughed softly.

"What? Too cheesy?" He asked.

"No." She looked up at his face. "That sounded a lot like your uncle."

"Great now all I need to do is gain a hundred pounds and I'll be the new Iroh." Zuko chuckled, Katara joining in briefly.

Though their conversation was ongoing, a soldier burst into the room, apologizing "Excuse my interruption Lord Zuko, but I have urgent news."

"Go ahead." Zuko said, becoming very serious. Katara noticed, he looked very much like the Fire Lord at this moment. She had never really thought of him fully that way. He could hide what he was feeling so well, the sign of a true leader.

"Wu Shang has announced from the brig he is alive and well. He has already murdered two of our men and threatened to take this whole ship by force unless we allow him to speak to Katara." The man looked suggestively at Katara, who now became acutely aware of how dirty and tired she must look.

Katara sat up straighter, attempting to hide her panic at his statement. Zuko noticed her attempts to hide her thoughts, but he could read her face better than she thought.

He turned back to the soldier. "Well, we can't give in to demands until we've exhausted all our options. Try to smoke them out first. If that doesn't work, we will heat up the lower decks until they give in. They were under our protection, now they must learn you should not lie to the Fire Lord."

"Yes my Lord." He left.

Zuko turned to Katara. She stared at the door the man shut behind him. "You won't have to go see him."

Katara's heart beat harder in her chest. "If it keeps him from killing anyone else, I am more than willing."

Zuko pondered this for a moment, tracing the veins on her hand. "You inspire me with your strength, but you don't have to do that."

"I can handle this. He cannot think that he has won." She was referring to their personal struggle, but Zuko didn't know that.

Zuko examined her eyes and face to see if she really wanted this. He could see a spark of determination in her eyes. "Okay, but only if you really want to."

"I do. I wasn't going to tell you all this, but now I want to. Zuko, Shang was unsettling. His mannerisms, the way he would loom over me. One day he would treat me like an honored guest and the next he would give me thirty lashes. He would let me stay in his quarters, then he moved me to the jail. He forced me to eat. He would let me wear very little clothes sometimes. His men would look at me with lustful but despising eyes. Everything he did was to break me, but also almost to impress me. He was a calm and cool collected leader around his men, but with me, he would tell me his thoughts. He cleaned my wounds and..."She stopped, unsure how to continue. She skipped into another story altogether. "He also always honored his word and expected others to honor theirs. Like when I tried to escape, he acted like I had betrayed him. Which worries me..." Again she trailed off.

"What?" Zuko asked.

"We fought an Ag Ni Kai. And I promised if I lost, I would do whatever he asked me to do. If I won, they would all have to come back to the Fire Nation with me." Katara said slowly.

Zuko realized. "But you lost." His heart sank into his stomach.

"So if I see him, and he asks me to help them escape, I have to do it." Katara stopped.

"No. No you don't have to do anything." Zuko said.

"But he would have honored his word. I have to." Katara said, with her head hanging low.

"Then you aren't going anywhere near him. He hasn't told you to do anything, so you are still technically keeping your word, right?" Zuko said quickly.

Katara nodded somberly.

"Then there is nothing to worry about." Zuko put his arm around her again.

"You're right." Katara said. They sat in silence for what felt like hours of lost time. She broke it by saying. "He made me feel so helpless. Nothing I did succeeded. Every escape attempt got me more punishment. He preyed on me in every way. The more I resisted, the more I felt like I was giving him some sort of sick pleasure."

"He will never touch you again." Zuko muttered quietly, kissing the top of her head. Katara put her arms around his waist and pulled him down to lay on the bed beside her. She took his hand and slowly ran it across her body, kissing his knuckles occasionally.

He took the one hand wrapped around her and moved it down to support her back, the other he slid to the back of her neck and closed the gap between them. His lips were soft and tasted of the sea. Katara let out a soft sigh, relief flooded her body. He was here. She was safe, for now.

Their movements were slow and methodical, ever kiss was cherished, making up for the time they had lost. "I missed you." Katara said softly, a smile resting lightly on her lips.

Zuko stopped caressing her to look her softly in the eyes. "I missed you more than you know." He kissed her softly on the lips. Every touch was measured, afraid the wrong move might shatter his porcelain doll.

Tingling and warmth spread throughout Katara's body. She pulled his hands back onto her body as he slowly moved her frame onto his. She untied the robe concealing her body and threw it to the side. Zuko adjusted and pulled off his tunic, revealing his muscular body. Katara helped him remove what remained of their clothes.

"You just woke up, I don't want to hinder your recovery. Are you sure you're okay with this?"

Katara leaned down and kissed him. "All I want is you, and I have waited long enough."

Zuko smiled and began to kiss her neck. "Alright then, who am I to keep you from your desires." Katara laughed and leaned into him to kiss him deeply.

"I love you Zuko."

"I love you too. More than the world."


End file.
